West Indies attack in the final for antics to attack Arshdeep Singh in Hyderabad
The West Indies may have secured a 24-run win over India in the fourth T20I in Hyderabadbut their behavior in the closing moments of the match drew criticism from former Bengal cricketer Shreevats Goswami. He questioned Shamar Joseph’s decision to continue bowling in Arshdeep Singh when India had no real chance of a comeback.
India needed 35 runs from the final over with just one wicket remaining, Arshdeep on strike and Mayank Yadav at the non-striker’s end. With the result almost decided, Joseph unleashed short deliveries towards Arshdeep’s body.
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One of those deliveries hit the Indian pacer around the shoulders and arms as he tried to pull the ball towards leg. Arshdeep immediately appeared to be in considerable pain and went down, prompting a physio to rush out to assess his condition.
Although Arshdeep eventually resumed batting, Joseph insisted on a short-ball approach. The next delivery missed the batter but the Indian pacer was visibly struggling with the pain. India captain Shreyas Iyer urged Arshdeep to leave from the kick-off, effectively ending the match.
The turn of events did not sit well with Goswami as he took to X to express his displeasure at Joseph’s approach in the last 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. Shamar Joseph was booked for targeting Arshdeep Singh in the final. (Image: Screengrab from X/@shreevats1)
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 batsman who was in no position to threaten West Indies’ victory.
“I know there’s a battle out there, but he could have just thrown it at the stumps instead of trying to follow him and looked like he was deliberately trying to hit him. No!” added Goswami.
Joseph, 27, is known for his pace, regularly breaking the 140 km/h mark and occasionally touching 150 km/h. However, his approach in the closing stages of the competition in Hyderabad became the talk of the town and somewhat overshadowed West Indies’ performance.
The win helped West Indies level the five-match series 2-2 after India fell short in the fourth T20I. Both the teams will now head to Bengaluru to decide the series with the final match deciding the winner of the match.
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