Team India are all set to take on England in the high-voltage second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Ahead of the much-awaited game, Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed the media, responding to recent allegations of ball-tampering against Indian fast bowlers.
Allegations by Inzamam-ul-Haq
Controversy arose when former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq alleged that Indian bowler Arshdeep Singh had tampered with the ball during their Super 8 match against Australia. Inzamam questioned the early reverse swing observed in the 15th over, suggesting that “significant work had been done” on the ball to achieve this effect.
“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 had said on Pakistani news channel.
Also READ: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Malik accuse Arshdeep Singh of ball-tampering
Rohit Sharma’s firm rebuttal
The Indian captain refused to accept any part of the accusation made against left-arm bowler Arshdeep, who performed exceptionally well during India’s 24-run victory over Australia in St Lucia. In a pointed response to Inzamam’s claims of ball tampering, Rohit stressed that if the ball doesn’t reverse swing under these circumstances, where else would it, given that the Men in Blue are not competing in conditions similar to those found in Australia or England.
“What can I say. Don’t you see the rough surfaces and the heat here? This isn’t Australia or England. Here the conditions will result in the ball reverse swinging in 12-15 overs. It’s happening for all teams and not us alone. Sometime people need to open their mind and think,” said Rohit.
