India’s all-format captain, Rohit Sharma, responded to former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s ball-tampering accusations against Indian bowlers in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 match against Australia.
In a press conference before India’s semi-final against England, Rohit urged critics to “open your mind” and consider “where we are playing.”
“If you are playing under the sun and the wickets are this dry, the ball will reverse. The ball is reversing for all teams. Not just for us,” he said.
Rohit emphasized the need to understand the playing conditions. “Sometimes, it’s important to open your mind. You have to understand where we are playing. We are not playing in England or Australia,” he added.
Earlier, Pakistan’s legendary batter Inzamam-ul-Haq questioned Indian pacers’ ability to reverse the ball early, accusing them of ball-tampering.
“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 13th. Umpires should keep their eyes open [to spot] these things,” Inzamam said on a local news channel.
“If it were 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 has been done before,” he added.
Inzamam-ul-Haq acknowledged Jasprit Bumrah’s unique bowling action but emphasized the need for the ball to be in “perfect condition” for other bowlers.
“Because for reverse swing… look, Bumrah can do it, because of his action; but for some bowlers – their action and speed, the ball must be in that perfect condition and prepared well [to reverse]. It could be that the wicket was hard and rough, that could be the reason [for the ball getting scuffed up on one side], but these things have to be noticed,” he stated.
