One of the most highly-repeated phrases in cricket is that a spinner should never be bowling no-balls, due to their shorter and slower run-ups. It was a frustration for many as India’s spin bowlers struggled with the crease on the first day of the final Test match against New Zealand, as both Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja bowled a handful of no-balls.
In a comedic moment following repeated incursions by Sundar beyond the popping crease, Ravi Shastri mentioned on air that the repeated overstepping became too much to bear for his co-commentator and former teammate Sunil Gavaskar, who reportedly shattered a plate while having his lunch on day one.
“Sunil Gavaskar was having lunch. He smashed the plate on the wall,” said Shastri humorously on air. “Thank god he’s not fielding in the slip. Washington would have been close to Washington DC.”
India bowled a total of nine no-balls in their innings against New Zealand, with only one of these coming via a pacer, in the shape of Akash Deep. The other eight were split amongst Washington Sundar, who bowled 5, while Ravindra Jadeja had 3.
Ian Smith, the former New Zealand cricketer, also summed up India’s unusually high number of no-balls by referencing Gavaskar. “Oh dear. Another no-ball. Where is Sunny G? He is going to run after them with a mic in hand.” Gavaskar entertained the humour himself when he returned on air and said, “Yeah, don’t worry. I have my running shoes on. But on a serious note, it’s something that needs to be looked at.
It was almost as if the Indian team went into a no-ball overdrive the first time Gavaskar mentioned how criminalistic in nature it is for a spinner to bowl no-balls. “Not acceptable,” he said when Sundar overstepped for the first time. “With a fast bowler it is understandable, that the momentum of the body can sometimes take your foot over the line. But spinners? Players keep saying that there are things that are not under our control. Well, this is one thing under control, so might as well, be cautious.”
But as soon as Gavaskar made the remark, all hell broke loose. Sundar and Jadeja combined to overstep six times in 15 overs.
Jadeja, Washington take 9 wickets despite no-ball struggles
Jadeja has historically struggled with the front-foot no-ball, opting to make maximum use of the crease and get as close to the batter as possible. While Jadeja has the unfortunate achievement of having taken wickets on no-balls on multiple occasions in Test cricket, it didn’t cause India too much damage on the day, as he took his 14th career five-fer in Mumbai. He also crossed Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma in terms of Test wickets taken.
Washington Sundar also continued his phenomenal form with ball, contributing with four wickets himself, including the crucial dismissals of Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra. A very tall spinner, Sundar struggled with adjusting his stride in the first session, but found his range in time to take significant wickets.
New Zealand worked their way to 235 runs in their first innings, largely thanks to excellent hands played by Will Young and Daryl Mitchell. However, Sundar and Jadeja’s wickets ensured that India didn’t too many runs as they attempt to spark a fightback after two difficult losses to begin the series.
