Sanju Samson gives Arshdeep Singh injury update, says India charged for last T20I
Sanju Samson has provided an update on Arshdeep Singh after the Indian pacer suffered a painful blow to his shoulder during the fourth T20I against West Indies in Hyderabad. With the five-match series level at 2-2, Samson said India were charged with deciding the series in Bengaluru while he hoped Arshdeep would recover in time.
Arshdeep was hit by a short delivery from Shamar Joseph in the final of India’s chase on Wednesday. The blow caused significant pain to the pacemaker in his left arm, prompting a physical therapist to rush to the field to assess his condition.
“Arshdeep is putting ice on his shoulders. Hope he recovers soon. He was hit by a fast ball. I hope he recovers soon,” Samson said during the post-match press conference.
IND vs WI 4th T20I: Highlights | Scorecard
India needed 35 runs from the final over with just one wicket remaining when Joseph hurled a flurry of bouncers at Arshdeep, one of which hit him on the left shoulder. Many felt that the action was unsportsmanlike from Joseph as Arshdeep could never chase the runs down.
Even as the Indian pacer tried to continue batting, he seemed to be struggling with pain. India captain Shreyas Iyer eventually urged Arshdeep to depart, ending the chase as West Indies secured a 24-run victory to level the series.
The incident also drew criticism from former Bengal cricketer Shreevats Goswami, who questioned Joseph’s decision to continue bowling Arshdeep when India had little chance of completing the chase.
“What Shamar Joseph did in the last 3 balls against Arshdeep is not in the spirit of the game for me!” Writing at X, Goswami argued that the West Indian pacer could have opted to jump on the stumps instead.
INDIA IS PAID FOR THE DECISION
Despite the defeat in Hyderabad, Samson insisted that India were not disappointed by the loss and were looking forward to the series decider and were determined to finish the match on a high.
“We are 2-all now. It all comes down to Bangalore now. We have a really busy last game. We have to give credit to West Indies cricket. They came to our house and dominated 2 games. We are in the final now,” said Samson.
West Indies fought back strongly after India took an early lead in the series by winning two matches to force a decider. A win for the visitors in Hyderabad ensured that neither side would have an opportunity to settle the match before the T20I final.
India will now head to Bengaluru for the fifth and final match with the series on the line. Arshdeep’s recovery will be one of the aspects to watch before taking a decision.
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