"Sometimes, it's important to open your mind"- Rohit Sharma hits back at Inzamam-ul-Haq's remarks on Indians reverse swinging the ball
Indian captain Rohit Sharma wasn't amused when asked about the comments made by former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq on Arshdeep Singh's bowling. During the game between India and Australia, Arshdeep found some reverse swing at the backend of the innings.
Speaking to 24 News HD after the match, Inzamam questioned how Arshdeep was reversing the ball so early, indirectly accusing the Indian team of using unfair measures to change the condition of the ball. Here's what he said:
"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...If it was Pakistani bowlers (reverse swinging the ball) this would have been a big issue."
Rohit Sharma didn't pay much importance to the accusation and indirectly asked cricket experts like Inzamam to use rationale. He explained that dry pitches and the day games were enough to reverse the ball. Ahead of the T20 World Cup semifinal against England, here's what Rohit said:
"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."
India won their final Super Eight game against Australia by 24 runs. Arshdeep Singh conceded 37 runs but also picked up three wickets, taking his tally to 15 scalps for the tournament.
Rohit Sharma and Co. have a chance to avenge Adelaide horror
Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler will lead their respective teams on Thursday in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup. The two captains faced off in the semifinal a couple of years ago as well at the previous edition of the tournament and England had given India a proper thrashing by ten wickets.
However, the Men in Blue have been committed to the ultra-attacking brand of batting and also have the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav to make their bowling more well-rounded. The winner of the semifinal will face off against either South Africa or Afghanistan in the grand finale on June 29 in Barbados.