‘Why attack the batters?’: Sunil Gavaskar fumes as Shamar Joseph hits Arshdeep Singh

Sunil Gavaskar and Arshdeep Singh (Image credit: X) Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph after a delivery hit Arshdeep Singh on the shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Gavaskar also urged the Indian batsmen to take more responsibility after the hosts lost the match by 24 runs. The defeat leveled the five-match series and decided it in Bengaluru on Saturday.West Indies scored 247 for three before bowling India out for 223. Keemo Paul took five wickets while captain Shai Hope led the visitors with an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls.The incident took place towards the end of India’s chase. A bouncer from Joseph hit Arshdeep on the shoulder, leaving the Indian pacer in pain.Despite the discomfort, Arshdeep continued to bat with India needing 30 runs off the last ball. Captain Shreyas Iyer also urged him to walk off injured and leave the field but Arshdeep decided to stay.On the next delivery, Arshdeep moved away from his stumps and tried to hit the ball to the boundary. Joseph bowled another short delivery towards his injured shoulder. This time the ball missed Arshdeep and went for four byes and a wide.Joseph’s approach drew a sharp response from Gavaskar in the commentary box. The former Indian captain questioned why the West Indian pacer was rolling on the batter when his stumps were left unprotected.“Going for him,” Gavaskar was heard broadcasting. “Why attack the batter when the stumps are right there?”“If he is not well, he should go. He seems to be in pain. You don’t want to aggravate the injury,” Gavaskar said.“Wouldn’t it be easier to just aim for the stumps? He knows he’s moving away to the left. Just aim for the stumps. Don’t aim for him. He’s aiming for him,” said a furious Gavaskar.Arshdeep was unable to continue after the incident and was injured five times. His injury could worry India ahead of the series decider on Saturday.Gavaskar also expressed concern over India’s batting performance during the chase. Despite a quick start from Sanju Samson, the home side failed to reach the target.The former captain said the batting unit needs to improve its approach in chasing big totals.“The first thing this Indian side needs to improve is how they chase. The batting unit needs to show more responsibility. If the batsmen don’t take responsibility, this Indian side will fail,” Gavaskar told JioStar.He felt that India should have shown more control with the bat, especially in conditions that were expected to help the chasing side.“On a pitch like this when the dew comes in, you have to show the kind of dominance with the bat that a team that has won back-to-back T20 World Cups would have, but that was completely missing in this game,” he added.A fourth T20I win leveled the series, leaving both teams with something to play for in the fifth and final match.The series decider will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.