Sunil Gavaskar Proposes Bold Fix To Tackle Growing No-Ball Problem: ‘How About A Fine…’

Sunil Gavaskar opposes free hits for no-balls in Tests, suggesting team fines instead. India’s bowlers had 13 no-balls vs Sri Lanka.

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Gavaskar suggests fines for no-balls.

India bowled 13 no-balls in 2nd Test vs SL.

Gavaskar opposes free hits for no-balls in Tests.

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Sunil Gavaskar had warned that Indian fans could boycott Sunrisers’ matches. (PTI Photo)

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has said that although spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule suggested that introducing a free hit in red-ball cricket might reduce the no-ball issue, it would just push the game more in batters’ favour, and instead, a fine might be introduced within the team setup for no-balls.

In the second Test against Sri Lanka, India bowled 13 no-balls, with spinners Saransh Jain and Ravindra Jadeja accounting for 11 of them across the two innings. Jadeja, who has been guilty of overstepping during his illustrious career, had also bowled four no-balls in the first Test in Galle.

Addressing the problem during the second Test, Bahutule called for free-hits even in red-ball cricket.

“The India team’s spinning coach jokingly said that giving a free hit after a no-ball might help in curbing the offence. Please, let us not make run-scoring easier in Tests for the batters with this penalty,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

“As it’s, 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 added.

The former India cricketer believes no-balls are unacceptable in the modern era, given the technology and equipment available to cricketers. In white-ball cricket, bowlers have faced an added penalty for years, with a no-ball resulting in a free hit on the next ball.

“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,” Gavaskar said.

“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,” Gavaskar added.

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Sunil Gavaskar’s proposal to fine cricketers and their bowling coaches for no-balls is a suggestion, but it is not yet known if this proposal will be implemented or if it will reduce no-balls in cricket.

Introducing free hits in red-ball cricket could reduce no-balls by making bowlers more careful due to the fear of conceding extra runs and disadvantages. However, this change might also favour batters more.

To improve cricket discipline, measures could include suspending bowlers for deliberately bowling front-foot no-balls or non-landing deliveries, banning teams from forfeiting the final innings of a match, and allowing head coaches to enter the field during drinks breaks in one-day cricket. Additionally, penalties for time-wasting could be extended to batters, support staff, and reserve players, and umpires could be fined for slow over-rates.

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