Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph over what he saw as a lack of sportsmanship during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
The criticism came after a Joseph bouncer hit India's tail-ender Arshdeep Singh on the shoulder, leaving him in pain.
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Arshdeep Refuses To Walk Off
Despite his visible discomfort, Arshdeep Singh chose to carry on batting, with India needing 30 runs off the final over. Even India captain Shreyas Iyer was seen urging him to retire hurt and leave the field at once, but the pacer refused to do it.
???? SHREYAS IYER DECLARES INDIA'S INNINGS WITH 3 BALLS LEFT AGAINST WEST INDIES! ???? Captain Shreyas Iyer made a rare decision in the 4th T20 against West Indies, declaring India's innings with 3 balls still remaining. Arshdeep Singh was struggling with a shoulder injury and couldn't bat properly, so Shreyas decided to call the batters back and end the innings early.West Indies went on to win the match. A rare moment in T20 cricket! This was the first time a captain had declared an innings in T20 cricket with overs still remaining. ????
— Central Cricket (@arshdeep3444) October 14, 2026
On the next delivery, Arshdeep once again left his stumps unguarded in his attempt to clear the boundary. Joseph responded with another short ball aimed at the injured shoulder.
This time it missed Arshdeep and went away for four byes and a wide. Through the over, Arshdeep kept moving away from his stumps as he was trying to pull Joseph away for boundaries.
Gavaskar Fumes In The Commentary Box
West Indies pacer approach left Gavaskar fuming in the commentary box, as the legendary batter criticised Joseph for "aiming at Arshdeep" rather than at the stumps, which had been left unprotected.
After narrowly avoiding being hit a second time, Arshdeep was unable to continue and was retired hurt on 5. West Indies then won the match by 24 runs to level the series.
Arshdeep's injury could be a huge blow for India if he is unable to play in the series decider in Bengaluru on Saturday, and also for the New Zealand tour, which is scheduled to start on October 22.
Hope, Paul Star For West Indies
West Indies captain Shai Hope laid the foundation for the series-levelling win with an unbeaten 102 off just 50 balls. Keemo Paul then derailed India's chase with figures of 5/41.
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