West Indies slammed for final over antics to target Arshdeep Singh in Hyderabad
West Indies may have secured a 24-run victory over India in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad, but their conduct in the closing moments of the match drew criticism from former Bengal cricketer Shreevats Goswami. He questioned Shamar Joseph’s decision to continue bowling short deliveries at Arshdeep Singh when India had no realistic chance of pulling off a comeback.
India needed 35 runs off the final over and had just one wicket remaining, with Arshdeep on strike and Mayank Yadav at the non-striker’s end. With the result all but decided, Joseph unleashed short-pitched deliveries directed towards Arshdeep’s body.
IND vs WI 4th T20I: Updates | Scorecard
One of those deliveries struck the Indian pacer around the shoulder and arm area as he attempted to pull the ball towards the leg side. Arshdeep immediately appeared to be in considerable pain and went down, prompting the physios to rush out and assess his condition.
Although Arshdeep eventually resumed batting, Joseph persisted with the short-ball approach. Another delivery missed the batter, but the Indian pacer was visibly struggling with the pain. From the dugout, India captain Shreyas Iyer urged Arshdeep to retire, effectively bringing the contest to an end.
The sequence of events did not sit well with Goswami, who took to X to express his displeasure at Joseph’s approach in the final three deliveries.
“What Shamar Joseph did in the last 3 balls against Arshdeep is not in the spirit of the game for me!” Goswami wrote.
Acknowledging the competitive nature of international cricket, the former Bengal cricketer argued that Joseph could have opted for a more conventional line of attack instead of repeatedly directing short deliveries at a batter who was in no position to threaten West Indies’ victory.
“I know it’s a battle out there but he could have just bowled it on the stumps instead of trying to follow and looked like purposely trying to hit him. Not on!” Goswami added.
Joseph, 27, is known for his pace, regularly crossing the 140 kmph mark and occasionally touching 150 kmph. However, his approach in the closing stages of the Hyderabad contest became the talking point, overshadowing West Indies’ performance to some extent.
The victory helped West Indies level the five-match series 2-2 after India fell short in the fourth T20I. Both teams will now head to Bengaluru for the series decider, with the final match set to determine the winner of the contest.
– Ends
