West Indies defeated India by 24 runs in the fourth T20I on Wednesday to level the five-match series 2-2
The match was overshadowed by Shamar Joseph’s short-ball barrage at Arshdeep Singh in the final over
Shreevats Goswami and Sunil Gavaskar criticised Joseph’s intent and questioned the tactic on air
West Indies won the fourth T20I against India by 24 runs on Wednesday to level the five-match series 2-2. Despite the win, West Indies' tactics of bowling bouncers at Arshdeep Singh in the final over drew criticism from former Bengal cricketer Shreevats Goswami.
He questioned Joseph's intent behind bowling the bouncers, noting that India had no realistic chance of winning. Chasing 248, India needed 35 runs in the final over, with Arshdeep Singh on strike and Mayank Yadav at the non-striker's end.
Shamar then proceeded to bowl one bouncer after another. One delivery struck the Indian pacer on the shoulder and arm as he attempted a pull shot. Arshdeep immediately went down in considerable pain, prompting the physios to rush out and assess him.
Although Arshdeep continued batting, Joseph resumed his short-ball approach. Visibly struggling, captain Shreyas Iyer eventually asked Arshdeep to retire, bringing the innings to a close.
“What Shamar Joseph did in the last three balls against Arshdeep is not in the spirit of the game for me!” Goswami wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Arshdeep was never going to win it for India from that situation. I know it’s a battle out there, but he could have just bowled it on the stumps instead of trying to follow him and looking like he was purposely trying to hit him. Not on," he added.
Commenting live on air, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed clear bewilderment at the fast bowler's tactics.
"He is aiming at him," Gavaskar was heard saying on air. "Why attack the batter when the stumps are right there?"
