World T20: Gavaskar lambasts R Ashwin, says 'no ball unacceptable from a spinner'

New Delhi, Apr 1: Criticising the Indian bowlers for conceding no balls at crucial juncture of the semifinal match against West Indies, former captain Sunil Gavaskar today said it is "unacceptable for a spinner to bowl a no ball".

Photos" title="Match report; WT20 Special Site; Photos" />Match report; WT20 Special Site; Photos

"The spinners are really not expected to bowl a no ball. Fast bowlers, in their effort to bowl a yorker or a bouncer, can sometimes overstep. Thus, for a spinner to bowl a no ball is unacceptable. This is something you got to practice in the nets," Gavaskar told 'NDTV'.

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Title aspirants India were last night knocked out of the ICC World Twenty20 with a heartbreaking seven-wicket defeat at the hands of West Indies, who capitalised on the home team's sloppy bowling display in a high-scoring semifinal showdown in Mumbai.

He insisted that West Indies have proved that cricket is a team game.

"West Indies is not a one-man team. We were talking about Chris Gayle versus Virat Kohli. He didn't score runs. But look how others put their hands up and contributed. It has always been a team game. We tend to highlight one or two players and that is understandable. But it is never a one man game and West Indies have proven that," said the legendary batsman.

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Gavaskar said rather than talking about India's deficiencies, he would like to pay tribute to the West Indies, who capitalised on the chances they got.

"I would like to give credit to the West Indies. They capitalised on all the chances they got. Even West Indies had missed chances to run out Virat Kohli twice and he cashed on it, scoring 89 and taking India to 192. West Indies also batted absolutely brilliantly."

The 66-year-old felt India fell short by 20 runs.

"I think India could have scored 20 runs more. I think it was possible. There was a time when we might have. Despite getting a good start, we never really actually got to more than eight runs an over.

"Eight runs an over against a good batting side and on a good batting pitch is not really expected, particularly with guys in form. You would expect more than 10 runs an over. So, I think even the West Indian bowlers bowled well," he said.

PTI