Sunil Gavaskar (Getty Images)
The debate emerged after India were unable to complete a 2-0 sweep against Sri Lanka in the second Test in Colombo. India still secured a 1-0 series win and kept their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final alive. Shubman Gill’s side needed only four wickets on the final day to seal victory, but Sonal Dinusha’s unbeaten century helped Sri Lanka survive and force a draw. However, the number of no-balls bowled by India’s spinners during the series has raised concerns. Gavaskar, however, believes such a move would punish the wrong side.
Gavaskar suggests more team fines
Because repeated errors can have a major impact on a Test match, the former India captain argued that no-balls are one of the few aspects of cricket completely within a player’s control and said the problem needs to be addressed immediately. Because it can change the colour of the game, this has to be looked at urgently.
“The India team spinning coach jokingly said that giving a free hit after a no-ball might help in curbing the offence. “The no-balls being bowled by the Indian bowlers came in for a fair bit of comment. There are very few aspects of the game that are totally in the players’ control, and a batter taking guard and a bowler not bowling a no-ball are two such aspects. Players, when they come for interviews, talk about doing things within their control. Please, let’s not make scoring runs in Test cricket easier for batters with this penalty. As it is, with the restriction on bouncers to two in an over and the boundaries being brought in, run-making has become a little simpler,” he added. Instead of changing the rules of the game, Gavaskar believes financial penalties could provide a stronger deterrent. The former India captain also suggested expanding the idea beyond no-balls, with the team itself having a say in deciding whether certain on-field mistakes deserve penalties.
Today, with a tape measure available to mark the run-up, there should be no excuses for overstepping the bowling crease,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.