Sunil Gavaskar: During the fourth T20I, Gavaskar criticised Joseph after a short delivery came close to hitting injured Indian bowler Arshdeep Singh. Joseph’s earlier short ball had struck Arshdeep, and with the batter trying to hit a boundary off the next delivery, Joseph bowled another short ball. It missed the batter’s body, and India got five runs: four byes and a wide.
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What Gavaskar said
On commentary, Gavaskar accused Joseph of targeting Arshdeep and questioned why a bowler would attack the batter when the stumps were exposed. The remarks led to coverage such as Gavaskar being angry at Joseph over a lack of sportsmanship. The former India captain’s point was that a bowler could have gone for the stumps instead of bowling at an injured player. Arshdeep was unable to continue batting after the injury.
Match and series impact
Arshdeep retired hurt as West Indies won by 24 runs to level the series. That sets up a decider after India had led 2-1 following a 14-run win in the third T20I in Indore, where Arshdeep was the standout bowler. Post-match, India’s batters and captain were also asked about how the game slipped away, with Shreyas Iyer reportedly placing responsibility on the bowlers.
Fair play or fair game?
Sunil Gavaskar: Cricket’s rules permit short-pitched bowling, and many fast bowlers see bouncers as a legitimate tactic, especially in T20s where batters swing hard. Defenders of Joseph may argue he was simply bowling to a plan. Critics counter that going repeatedly at a visibly injured batter crosses an unwritten line of the game’s spirit, which is the argument Gavaskar made.
The pacer has not been reported to have faced any formal action, and there has been no official comment from the match officials in the sources I found. How Joseph and the West Indies camp respond, and whether the issue resurfaces in the decider, will be worth watching.
