Shiva Singh bowls with 360-degree turn and hogs limelight

Bengaluru, November 8: Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Shiva Singh has hogged all the headlines for his 360-degree turn just prior to delivery on the third day of the CK Nayudu Trophy U-23 match against Bengal in Kalyani.

Bowlers try all sort of things to get an advantage, however narrow that may be, over batsmen including being ambidextrous, pausing in the middle of the bowling action etc. But Shiva Singh outdid everyone else - rotating 360 degrees in his run-up just before the delivery during the domestic games. However, his delivery was called a dead ball by the onfield umpire.

Shiva has claimed that this was not the first time he had bowled the 360-degree style but it was the first time an umpire called it a dead ball.

"I use different variations in one-dayers and T20s so I thought of doing the same because the Bengal batsmen were developing a partnership. The umpires said dead ball, so I asked 'why are you calling it a dead ball?'

"I delivered this 360-degree ball against Kerala in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, where it was fine. Batsmen always go for the reverse-sweep or the switch-hit against bowlers. But when bowlers do something like this it's deemed a dead ball," Shiva was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.