“Kabhi arsh par, kabhi farsh par” – Fans react as Arshdeep Singh bowls five no-balls in 2nd IND vs SL T20I

India pacer Arshdeep Singh had a horrible day on the field in the second T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Pune on Thursday, January 5.

The left-arm seamer bowled five no-balls during his four-over spell, including a hat-trick of no-balls in the first over. The youngster also bowled a couple of no-balls in the penultimate over. He gave away 37 runs in his two overs, which proved costly for the Men in Blue.

Fans expressed their disappointment at witnessing Arshdeep Singh's struggle to land his feet behind the crease.

Singh missed the first T20I due to illness. The 23-year-old last represented the Men in Blue in November in New Zealand.

He has replaced Harshal Patel in the playing XI of the ongoing T20I. The latter finished with figures of 2/41 in the previous match.

Arshdeep Singh & Co. fail to deliver as Sri Lanka set 207-run target

A clinical batting performance from Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka and Kusal Mendis helped them score 206/6 in their allotted 20 overs. While Shanaka scored an unbeaten 56 off 22 balls, Mendis contributed 52 off 31 balls. The duo hit 10 sixes during Sri Lanka's innings.

Charith Asalanka also played a cameo, scoring a 19-ball 37, including four sixes. Meanwhile, Pathum Nissanka added 33 runs.

Besides Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Mavi also proved costly. He leaked 53 runs in his four overs. Umran Malik picked up three wickets but conceded 48 runs.

Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, though, looked good with figures of 2/24 and 1/30, respectively.

The onus will now be on the Indian batters to deliver if they want to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Hardik Pandya and Co. won their first T20I against Sri Lanka by two runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. All-rounder Deepak Hooda scored a 23-ball 41*, while Mavi picked up a four-wicket haul on his T20I debut in the last match.

The two teams will next lock horns in the third T20I in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7.

About the author

James has been covering cricket news for Sportskeeda for 3+ years with over 1 crore readership. He has been following the game since 2002 and has not looked back since. A breaking news specialist, he has a previous 3-year work experience at Times of India, English Jagran, NDTV and others, covering all news categories, including sports.

James holds a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a diploma in Sub-editing and Design which shaped his sports reporting career. During the course of his education, he learned about the 5W1H format, fact-checking, ethics, SEO, pyramid structure, etc, which enable him to produce compelling content for his readers. His exploits in reporting have led him to exclusively cover numerous ICC events and IPL.

James comes from Jharkhand and is highly inspired by legendary India captain MS Dhoni. He is a staunch supporter of the ICT and is loyal towards the CSK. When not immersed in his favorite sport, James likes watching Bollywood songs.

Know More