Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has firmly denied accusations that his team tampered with the ball during their T20 World Cup win against Australia. Former Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq alleged that India manipulated the ball to gain reverse swing during left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh's second bowling spell.
India defeated Australia by 24 runs in Gros Islet, setting up a semi-final clash against England. Arshdeep's three wickets were instrumental in stopping Australia's chase of 205 runs.
Inzamam raised suspicion about the timing of Arshdeep's reverse swing, suggesting it wouldn't be possible so early with a new ball unless tampered with beforehand and urged the umpires to be more vigilant.
Earlier, speaking to a Pakistani news channel, Inzamam accused Arshdeep and the Indian side of working on the ball, which helped the lanky pacer generate reverse swing in his second spell.
"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 the news channel.
Rohit was asked about Inzamam's comment in the pre-match media interaction here and he dismissed it, advising the former batter to have an open mind.
"Wickets are so dry (here). All teams are getting reverse (swing). Need to open your mind sometimes. This is not Australia," Rohit said, when asked to respond to Inzamam's observation.
India's bowlers weren't the only ones getting reverse swing. Australia too posed a threat until Arshdeep's crucial wickets in the 16th and 18th overs snatched momentum away.
Inzamam further argued that similar tactics by Pakistani bowlers would have sparked outrage. He suggested Arshdeep's bowling action wouldn't naturally produce reverse swing so early, hinting at foul play.
Rohit's dismissal of the accusations maintains focus on India's upcoming semi-final match against England.
