Team India suffered a comprehensive 21-run defeat in the opening T20I against New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday (January 27).

Chasing 177 to win, the Men in Blue were reduced to 15/3 inside the powerplay. While the likes of Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 34 balls) and Washington Sundar (50 off 28 balls) produced good knocks, they couldn’t take the hosts over the line.

After the game, Arshdeep Singh copped a lot of flak for his poor showing with the ball. The left-arm pacer conceded 27 runs in the final over of Kiwi innings, including a no-ball six.

During the first T20I against Sri Lanka earlier this month, Arshdeep had bowled three no-balls in an over and four throughout the innings.

Speaking to Star Sports, former India fast bowler Laxmipathy Balaji said Arshdeep needs to work on his landing to avoid bowling no-balls.

"It’s not easy to fix something for which there is no so-called solution directly. He has to understand where exactly his running marks are. At the same, he has to start reacting well under pressure. The way he has continued to bowl no-balls, that is a big worry," Balaji stated.

"He has to do a lot of work off the field as well with the bowling coach. Hopefully, he will come good in the forthcoming matches," he added.

Balaji also reckons that Arshdeep's might lose his confidence if he continues to over-step in international fixtures.

"There is a rhythm issue, which he needs to address. If you overstep consistently, there is something that you need to address very quickly. Otherwise, you will lose your confidence, your rhythm and your momentum. It’s been recurring. He needs to go back to the drawing board and work on his foot-landing," he remarked.

Arshdeep Singh, 23, will now look to bounce back in the second T20I against New Zealand, slated to be held in Lucknow on Sunday (January 29).