“Jalan toh dikhti hai,” Shami reacts to Hasan Raza’s 'different balls for Indian bowlers' conspiracy theory during World Cup

Raza had claimed that the Indian pacers were getting “different and suspicious balls” in the World Cup.

By Salman Anjum - 08 Feb, 2024

India pacer Mohammad Shami has lashed out at former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza’s bizarre statement made during the Cricket World Cup last year.

Raza had claimed that the Indian fast bowlers were getting “different and suspicious balls” in the showpiece tournament.

His comments came after Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj consistently demolished the opposition batting line-up in the World Cup 2023 league fixtures.

"It seems like the ball gets changed in the second innings. I think the ICC, umpire, or the BCCI is giving a different ball to the Indian bowlers. The side batting first scored 350 and were all over the chasing team. The way Mohammed Shami bowled his first ball, even Angelo Matthews was stunned. During our playing days, there was only one ball which was utilised, and had both swing and reverse swing," Hasan Raza had said after the India-Sri Lanka match at the Wankhede Stadium on November 2.

In that game, India had bundled out Sri Lanka for 55 to register a thumping 302-run victory.

Nearly three months after the World Cup, Shami reacted to Raza’s comment, saying that the former Pakistan player was jealous of India's performance.

"Actually they have made cricket a joke because we don't enjoy each other's success. You become too happy when you are being praised, but when you lose, you feel that you have been cheated. You look at the records of the time we have been part of the team, you won't even find them close. Jalan toh puri dikhti hai wo. Itna jalane se kon se results mil jaane hain (Jealously is evident. You can never get good results with this amount of jealously," Shami told News18.

During the World Cup, Hasan Raza’s remarks created quite a stir on social media, and he was slammed by the fans and former cricketers alike, including the Pakistan legend Wasim Akram and former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

By Salman Anjum - 08 Feb, 2024

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