Indian captain Rohit Sharma has reacted to former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq's claim regarding India’s ability to reverse swing the ball early in the Super 8 match against Australia on Monday during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Rohit, during a presser before the semi-final clash against England, said critics to apply your mind and understand the conditions before making claims.
"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.
The Pakistan batting great said that Arshdeep Singh reversed the ball in the 15th over which is rarely seen.
“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,” Inzamam said on a local news channel.
“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.
“Because for reverse swing … look Bumrah can do it, because of his action; but for some bowlers – their action and their speed, the ball has to be in that perfection 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.”
India’s win against Australia was crucial since it helped Rohit Sharma’s side secure spot in the semi-finals of the event. The Men in Blue will face England in the last four clash in Guyana tomorrow.
There is also chance of heavy rain in Guyana tomorrow which could affect the match between India and England. If the game is washed out due to poor weather, India will qualify for final by virtue of topping their Super 8s pool.
- Rohit Sharma
- Inzamam-ul-haq
