India may have won the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0, but their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final took a significant hit after they failed to force a win in the Colombo Test despite enforcing a follow-on. A major reason for that was the repeated no-ball errors from the Indian spinners, which allowed Sri Lanka to drag the game into a draw.

Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Saransh Jain combined to bowl 11 no-balls, taking India’s total to 13 in the Colombo Test alone. Across the four innings of the two-Test series, India bowlers overstepped 20 times, an unforced error that left legendary Sunil Gavaskar fuming.

The former India captain called for stricter penalties. “The India team spinning coach jokingly said that giving a free hit after a no-ball might help in curbing the offense. Please, let us not make run-scoring easier in Test cricket for the batters with this penalty,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

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He suggested that instead of making it easier for batters, the focus should be on making bowlers pay for their mistakes. “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. Instead, how about a fine which gets doubled for every further transgression, plus half the amount of the fine for the bowling coach too.”

Gavaskar also proposed using the fines collected for a team dinner at the end of the series. “The fines collected can be used for the final team dinner before the boys disperse. 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.”

‘No excuses for overstepping’

The former India captain, known for his no-nonsense views, stressed that bowling no-balls is simply inexcusable in the modern era, especially with the technology and facilities available to players. While white-ball cricket penalises no-balls with a free hit, Gavaskar believes Test cricket needs a stronger deterrent.

“This has to be looked at urgently because it can change the colour of the game. 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 that are in their control. Today, with tape measure available to mark the run-up, there should be no excuses for overstepping the bowling crease,” he added.