'You Shouldn't Be Playing International Match If...': Gambhir Lambasts Arshdeep Singh For Poor Outing Vs SL

Gautam Gambhir even urged the bowling coaching to check whether Arshdeep Singh has been overstepping while bowling in the nets, during the practice sessions.

Gautam Gambhir said Arshdeep Singh should be playing domestic cricket before returning to the national team.

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India vs Sri Lanka: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir lambasted young India pacer Arshdeep Singh following his nightmarish outing in India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20 International. Sri Lanka defeated the hosts by 16 runs to level three-match T20 series 1-1. Arshdeep Singh, in particular, among the Indian bowlers has been facing a lot of heat ever since the Blues lost the nail-biting affair to Lankan Lions on Thursday.

The left-arm pacer's bowling figures read- 2-0-37-0 by the end of the game. He conceded 37 runs in the two overs he bowled and dished out five no-balls. For the unversed, one of the main reasons behind Arshdeep's poor outing is that he's returning to team India after an injury.

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid backed the rising speedster post India's defeat, but Gautam Gambhir made sure to vent out his anger at Arshdeep following his poor outing. Gambhir said that the bowler should be playing domestic cricket before returning to the national team.

"If you are coming after an injury, you should not be playing an international game. You should be going to domestic cricket and getting your rhythm back because no-balls are not acceptable. Whoever is injured and there is a long layoff, he has to go back to domestic cricket, bowl 15-20 overs, come back, and then play an international game, and that was squarely seen when Arshdeep Singh was struggling with his rhythm," Gambhir said during a post-match discussion on Star Sports.

Gambhir urged the bowling coaching to check whether Arshdeep Singh has been overstepping while bowling in the nets, during the practice sessions.

"As I just mentioned, you can have a shocker. Fielders can have a shocker, batters can play bad shots, bowlers can bowl those shocking deliveries but this thing is not acceptable. You might be doing it in the nets, during the practice sessions, that's the reason you do it in the match as well. So it's up to the bowling coach to probably work on that as well because you have got to be harsh in the practice sessions. You just can't blame something else," he added.