West Indies beat India in the fourth T20I on Wednesday in Hyderabad to level the five-match series 2-2, but their victory also touched off a wave of reaction about sportsmanship in the wake of Shamar Joseph's decision to target Indian player Arshdeep Singh with a barrage of bouncers. West Indies came under immense criticism, with Shamar Joseph persisting with short-pitched deliveries at Arshdeep Singh, despite India having virtually no chance of winning the game.
The incident took place during the final over, when India needed 35 runs to win and had only one wicket left. Arshdeep was on strike, with Mayank Yadav at the non-striker’s end. Starting his spell, Joseph bombarded Arshdeep Singh with short balls that troubled him a lot. And one of those deliveries hit Arshdeep around the shoulder and arm as he attempted a pull shot.
After copping the blow, Arshdeep was visibly uncomfortable, going down in pain and clutching his shoulder. Following these developments, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer, sitting in the dugout, signalled for Arshdeep to retire from the crease and hand West Indies a 24-run win. Now, West Indies may have won the game, but in light of these troubling developments, former Bengal cricketer Shreevats Goswami has lashed out at Shamar Joseph for continuing with short deliveries.
“What Shamar Joseph did in the last 3 balls against Arshdeep is not in the spirit of the game for me!” Goswami wrote on X.
"Arshdeep was never going to win it for India from that situation. I know it’s a battle out there, but he could have just bowled it on the stumps instead of trying to follow him and looking like he was purposely trying to hit him. Not on," he said.
In the match, West Indies after being asked to bat, posted 247/3 in 20 overs, riding on a superb century from captain Shai Hope, who scored 102 unbeaten. Chasing the target, India got off to a brisk start, slamming 56; however, their middle-order batters could not make any substantial contribution, which led to their downfall.