Rohit Sharma has replied to Inzamam-ul-Haq’s claims that India tampered with the ball in their 2024 T20 World Cup clash against Australia, saying the former Pakistan skipper should “use his brain.”
The Indian bowlers were on the mark against Australia in the Super Eight fixture on Monday, restricting the 2021 T20 World Cup champions to 181-7, handing their team a 24-run win in St Lucia.
Needing 81 in eight overs with eight wickets in hand at one stage, India bounced back courtesy of some tight bowling by Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Arshdeep. The latter’s second spell, in the 16th and 18th over of the run chase was pivotal: He gave away just 21 runs combined and picked up two wickets to push Australia on the back foot, getting the ball to reverse swing.
Inzamam, however, suggested that there might have been "some work done on the ball", saying it was too early to get the ball to reverse swing. “When Arshdeep was bowling the 15th over, it was reverse swinging. Is that too early with the new ball? This means the ball was ready by the 12th-13th over, it was capable of reversing. It was reverse-swinging in the 15th. Umpires need to keep their eyes open.
"If Pakistan bowlers did this, there would have been hue and cry. We know how to reverse it really well. If Arshdeep can reverse it in the 15th, there's been some serious work done on the ball.
"If Bumrah does it [you can understand], his action is like that. When others with a specific action or speed do it, it means the ball has been prepared in a special way. Maybe the wicket was hard and rough, but we need to check it."
India skipper Rohit Sharma, when asked to comment on Inzamam’s statements, scoffed and said, “How do I answer that? You are playing in such heat, the wicket is so dry, that the ball will reverse on its own. Every team is getting the ball to reverse swing, not just ours. Sometimes, it’s important to use your brains and understand the conditions the match is being played in. We aren’t playing in England or Australia.”
India’s next fixture in the T20 World Cup is the semi-final against England on Thursday (June 27) in Guyana.
