During India’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against England, Indian captain Rohit Sharma dismissed any suggestion that the Indian fast bowlers were involved in ball-tampering when speaking to the media a day before the match. Rohit Sharma asked the critics to ‘apply your mind’ and see what the conditions are before they make wild accusations.
Inzamam’s Scathing Claim: Rohit Responds to Ball-Tampering Allegations
Rohit Sharma gave this statement after former Pakistan cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq leveled serious allegations against Arshdeep Singh; he said the Indian cricketer was involved in ball tampering during the match with Australia in the Super 8 stage of T20 World Cup.
“What answer will I give? If you are playing under the sun and the wickets are this dry, the ball will reverse on its own. The ball is reversing for all teams. Not just for us. Sometimes, it’s important to open your mind (use your brain). You have to understand where we are playing. We are not playing in England or Australia,” Rohit Sharma said.
Arshdeep’s Reverse-Swing Wizardry: Rohit’s Boy Does the Talking on the Field
“Arshdeep Singh, when he was bowling the 15th over, the ball was reversing. is it too early (for reverse swing) with the new ball? This means the ball was ready for reverse swing by the 12th or the 13th over. Umpires should keep their eyes open (to spot) these things.
“If it was Pakistani bowlers (reverse swinging the ball) this would have been a big issue. We know reverse swing very well and if Arshdeep can come in the 15th over and start reversing the ball, it means some serious work had been done before,” Inzamam said.
Echoes of Old: Pakistan Panel Makes Unsubstantiated Claims Against Indian Fast Bowlers
Salim Malik, a cricketer from Pakistan which was also in the panel supported Inzamam and accused the Indian fast bowlers of changing the ball.
This is not the first time that former Pakistan players have formed some weird and nonsensical allegations against Indian players. In the 2023 World Cup being played in India, former cricketer of Pakistan team Hasan Raza accused India of fitting the chips inside ball as they got more success than others fast bowlers. It was needless to say, meant for Mohammed Shami who was on a rampage with his match winning spells.
“Does this ball have any device? (laughs while looking at the ball). When I heard this, I wondered ‘how can someone ask such a stupid question?’. Even I think about it (that claim) now, I am not able to control my laughter,” Shami told Aajtak.