Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has rejected India spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule’s idea for introducing free-hits in Test cricket on no-balls. This comes after Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Saransh Jain repeatedly bowled no-balls.

Sonal Dinusha’s brilliant twin hundreds and the Sri Lankan tailenders’ brilliant rearguard action helped the hosts earn a draw in the second Test in Colombo after being asked to follow on. India might have won the series 1-0, keeping the hopes alive of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final, but repeated mistakes in the bowling department were a concern.

Ravindra Jadeja’s habit of bowling no-balls has hurt the Indian team a lot, as the spinner has bowled 85 no-balls since 2021 in Tests. This led spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule to say that maybe the need of the hour is to introduce free hits in Test cricket as well.

Even debutant Saransh Jain bowled quite a few no-balls in the second innings of the Colombo Test.

But legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar said that the problem needs to be fixed quickly, as constant no-balls can change the complexion of the game. He added that there is no excuse for overstepping the popping crease because tape is provided to mark the run-up prior to the start of play.

"The no-balls being bowled by the Indian bowlers came in for a fair bit of comment. This issue has to be looked at urgently because it can change the color of the game. Only a few aspects of the game are totally in the players' control, such as a batter taking guard and a bowler not bowling a no-ball. Players, when they come for interviews, talk about doing things within their control. Today, with a tape measure available to mark the run-up, there should be no excuses for overstepping the bowling crease," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

“The India team's spin coach jokingly said that giving a free hit after a no-ball might help in curbing the offense. Please, let’s not make scoring runs in Test cricket easier for batters with this penalty. 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,” he added.

Instead of free hits, Gavaskar suggested that fines should be introduced and levied on the bowlers every time they overstepped in Test cricket. He said fines should also be levied on bowling coaches and Support staff members, and the amount can be used for a host of team-bonding activities.

“Instead, how about a fine that gets doubled for every further transgression, plus half the amount of the fine for the bowling coach, too? 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,” Gavaskar wrote.

India’s next Test assignment will be the tour of New Zealand, where the team will play two Tests.