‘Dimaag ko kholna zaroori hai… all teams getting reverse swing’ Rohit Sharma hits back at Pak claim of ball tampering

Men's cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has come down heavily on Pakistan equivalent Inzamam-ul Haq for suggesting that the Indian team had “worked the ball” to gain a win against Australia, PTI reported.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh grabbed three wickets to halt Australia's campaign for 205 runs and Haq accused him of working the ball to generate reverse swing during the T20 World Cup's Super 8 match against Australia in St Lucia on June 24. The boys from ‘Down Under’ lost by 24 runs and India has moved to the semi-finals against England.

When asked to comment on the allegation, the Indian skipper asked Haq to understand the conditions of the pitch.

The Accusations and Response

“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,” Inzamam told a Pakistani news channel.

“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,” Haq alleged.

To this Sharma replied: “Abhi kya jawab du mein iskey bhai? If you are playing in such warm conditions and the wickets are this dry, the ball will reverse on its own. The ball is reversing for all teams. Not just for us. You know sometimes, thoda dimaag ko kholna bhi zaroori hai. You have to understand where we are playing. Matches are not taking place in England or Australia. That's all I'll say.”

(With inputs from PTI)