As a professional, you can't be doing this: Gavaskar schools Arshdeep Singh after no-ball fiasco in 2nd T20I

After missing the series opener due to illness, Arshdeep Singh was named in India's XI for the second and penultimate T20I versus Sri Lanka, in Pune, on Thursday (January 05). The 23-year-old left-armer had a forgettable outing, returning with 2-0-37-0 including five no-balls (three on the trot). Thus, Arshdeephas now bowled thejoint most no-balls by any bowler in the format from a Full Member teamand most by an Indian.

Indian bowlers, in general, were expensive and off the mark as they conceded 12 extras (four wides and seven no-balls) as Sri Lanka rode on Kusal Mendis' 52 and Dasun Shanaka's 22-ball 56 to post 206 for 7 after being asked to bat first. In reply, India were 57 for 5 before Suryakumar Yadav's 51,Axar Patel's 31-ball 65* and Shivam Mavi's 15-ball 26 brought the hosts back before they fell short by 16 runs. After the game, lots of fingers have been pointed at Arshdeep. Little Master Sunil Gavaskar has now schooled the young pacer and said 'not bowling a no-ball is definitely in the bowler's control'.

"As a professional, you can't be doing this. We often hear today's players say, things aren't in our control. Not bowling no ball is in your control. What happens after you deliver the ball, what the batsman does, is another thing. Not bowling a no ball is definitely in your control," Gavaskar said during his commentary stint on Star Sports.

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Meanwhile, head coach Rahul Dravid called for patience and defended Arshdeepdespite his horror showing. Dravid told in the post-match conference, "Nobody wants to bowl wides (no-balls) in any format. Especially in T20s, they can hurt you. We need to be patient with lot of these young kids. There are a lot of youngsters playing in this team, especially our bowling attack. They are young kids; they will have games like these at times. We all need to be patient with them and understanding. Of course, they are working hard, and we keep trying to help them, support them technically, and also just create the right environment for them to be able to get the best out of their skills."

Dravidhas also hinted that India won't chop and change a lot for the final T20I, on Saturday (January 07) in Rajkot, with the series on the line.