The reinduction of Arshdeep Singh into the international cricket has evoked mixed reaction in the Indian cricket fraternity. Former cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, has raised concerns over inclusion of the young left arm pacer in the Indian squad immediately after his comeback from the injury.
In a post-match discussion on a television channel, he said “imagine 7 balls, it’s like bowling more than 21 overs. Everyone bowls bad balls or plays bad shots but it’s about the rhythm. If you are coming after an injury, you should not be playing an international game.”
He further said, “you should be going to domestic cricket and getting your rhythm back because no-balls are not acceptable. Whoever is injured and there is a long layoff, he has to go back to domestic cricket, bowl 15-20 overs, come back and then play an international game, and that was squarely seen when Arshdeep Singh was struggling with his rhythm.”
However, Indian coach Rahul Dravid and Captain Hardik Pandya have thrown their weights behind Arshdeep after ge bowled 3 consecutive no balls in his first over and bowled 2 more in his second over.
Pandya in the post-match press conference said “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. It is not about blaming him or being too hard on him, but we know no-balls in any format is a crime.”
Arshdeep made a comeback to international cricket on Thursday in the T20i match against Sri Lanka. However, it looked like a very off day for the star pacer as he bowled a total of 5 no balls in the match.