As India settled for a draw against Sri Lanka in the second Test, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja ‘s indisciplined bowling became the talk of the town. Sunil Gavaskar , a purist of the game, lambasted Jadeja’s conduct on the field, suggesting for the player and even India’s bowling coach to be handed a hefty fine. Stasticians note that Jadeja has bowled more than 85 no-balls since 2021. In the 2-Tests against the islanders, he was a repeat offender when it comes to overstepping the line.
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. “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.
Because it can change the colour of the game, this has to be looked at urgently.
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, how about a fine which gets doubled for every further transgression, plus half the amount of the fine for the bowling coach, too. “There could be other fines too, for example, not backing up for a throw or something else not done on the field, which the whole team can vote on whether to impose or not. This can also be a fun activity and bond the team even more,” he added.
“The India team spinning coach jokingly said that giving a free hit after a no-ball might help in curbing the offence. Sharing another idea to curb no-balls, Gavaskar said that the management needs to double the fine if an offence is repeated, and maybe even penalise the bowling coach if such instances continue.
The fines collected can be used for the final team dinner before the boys disperse,” wrote Gavaskar.
