Indian skipper Hardik Pandya wasn't the one to mince words at Arshdeep Singh after the returning fast bowler capped off a forgetful outing in the recently concluded encounter between India and Sri Lanka on Thursday. Dasun Shanaka's lone warrior act and Arshdeep's tale of no-balls encapsulated the struggles of the Men In Blue at Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium as Sri Lanka bounced back in the 2nd T20I to level the series 1-1.
Pacer Arshdeep, who was regarded as a revelation in the white-ball setup last year, looked rusty in his first match of the new season. Returning to the fold after recovering from illness, Arshdeep bowled as many as five no-balls in the high-scoring contest at Pune. Talking about Arshdeep's bowling disasterclass, stand-in skipper Pandya set the record straight on the young pacer, who remained under the pump throughout the contest.
"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 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," Pandya said at the post-match presentation.
Leaking 37 runs in 2 overs, pacer Arshdeep created an unwanted record and Pandya didn't allow the speed merchant to complete his quota of overs in the 2nd T20I at Pune. Out of seven no-balls, five were bowled by Arshdeep in the series decider between India and Sri Lanka. Pacer Arshdeep also became the first Indian bowler to bowl three no-balls on the trot in his first over of a T20I.
{{/usCountry}}Leaking 37 runs in 2 overs, pacer Arshdeep created an unwanted record and Pandya didn't allow the speed merchant to complete his quota of overs in the 2nd T20I at Pune. Out of seven no-balls, five were bowled by Arshdeep in the series decider between India and Sri Lanka. Pacer Arshdeep also became the first Indian bowler to bowl three no-balls on the trot in his first over of a T20I.
{{/usCountry}}"Both in bowling and batting, the powerplay hurt us. We made some basic errors, which we shouldn't be making at this level. Everyone knows what it is. The learning for us is we should be focussing on what we can control," Pandya added. After losing the 2nd T20I at the hands of the Asia Cup holders, Pandya-led Team India will aim to secure the series in the third and final match at Rajkot on Saturday.