Arshdeep Singh's repeated no-ball offenses have become a major source of concern for Team India, particularly in tight matches such as T20Is, where the margin for error is incredibly slim.
On Friday, at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi, Arshdeep was once again the culprit, bowling a disastrous 27-run over in the final over of the New Zealand innings. This included a no-ball, three sixes, and a four, allowing the opposition to reach a total of 176/6. This costly over could have been the difference between victory and defeat for India, who ultimately fell 21 runs short of the target.
He began the over by overstepping, resulting in a no-ball that went for a six. Daryl Mitchell then took on Arshdeep and smashed the next two balls over the ropes, giving New Zealand a hat-trick of sixes, followed by a boundary off the legitimate third ball of the over. This impressive display of power hitting set the tone for the rest of the match.
Indian captain Hardik Pandya was visibly displeased with Arshdeep's over as Daryl Mitchell took him to the cleaners. Hardik's reactions to Arshdeep's costly over quickly went viral on social media, as the visitors posted a formidable score of 176 on the board.
Following the Sri Lanka game earlier this month, in which Arshdeep bowled a series of no-balls, Hardik had not held back in his criticism of the pacer. He had gone so far as to call bowling a no-ball in any format of the game a criminal offense.
"You can have a good day, you can have a bad day, but you shouldn't be moving away from the basics. For Arshdeep, in this situation, it is very difficult. In the past as well he's bowled no-balls. It is not about blaming him or being too hard on him, but we know no-balls in any format is a crime," Hardik had said after the Pune T20I.
India were restricted to 155/9 after a top-order collapse; all-rounder Washington Sundar led the hosts' fightback with a blistering 28-ball fifty, but ultimately failed to steer the side past the finishing line. This was New Zealand's first win in the ongoing tour, following a demoralizing 0-3 clean sweep defeat in the ODIs.
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