Dinesh Karthik has explained why Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh struggled in his comeback match in Pune. On Thursday, Sri Lanka defeated India by 16 runs to tie the T20I series 1-1.
After Sri Lanka defeated India in the series decider on Tuesday, veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik came out in support of Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh. Returning to the lineup after missing the series opener, Indian pacer Arshdeep had a nightmare outing against Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
After a good first over from captain Hardik Pandya, speed merchant Arshdeep bowled three no-balls in his first over, completely changing the momentum. The Indian pacer ended up bowling five no-balls, which will go down in history for all the wrong reasons. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer became the first Indian bowler to bowl three no-balls in a T20I match in his first over. After providing the impetus for Sri Lanka to take off in the powerplay, pacer Arshdeep bowled two more no-balls to secure yet another dubious record.
Arshdeep now has the most no-balls bowled by an Indian bowler in the shortest format. With Arshdeep facing mounting criticism from fans for his bowling performance against Sri Lanka, veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Karthik lent his support to the troubled fast bowler. Karthik took to Twitter during the second T20I between India and Sri Lanka to explain why Arshdeep failed to make an impression in his comeback match in Pune. “You have to feel for Arshdeep Singh, it’s just a lack of match practise. “It’s never easy,” Karthik wrote in a tweet.
Arshdeep did not bowl his allotted overs in the second T20I against Sri Lanka. The Indian pacer only bowled two overs and allowed 37 runs. As Sri Lanka posted a match-winning total, Arshdeep’s teammate Umran Malik (3) shared five wickets with Axar Patel (2). Sri Lanka posted 206-6 in 20 overs, riding on Dasun Shanaka’s quick-fire 56 off 22 balls. Despite valiant efforts from Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav, Sri Lanka outclassed India by 16 runs to tie the series 1-1. Shanaka was named the match’s MVP.
