Former India opener Virender Sehwag has expressed his annoyance over a question asked by the media to Rohit Sharma ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against England in Guyana.
After India’s Super 8 match against Australia, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq stirred a controversy by claiming that Indian bowlers might be tampering with the ball. The reason behind his doubt was Arshdeep Singh generating a reverse-swing in the 16th over of Australia's chase.
While Rohit had rubbished the accusations, former India vice-captain Sehwag slammed such questions being asked to the players.
"It is not the job of a reporter to quote someone and ask others for their opinion," Sehwag said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
"This is wrong. Do you not have a question of your own? You're trying to create controversy. If I were there, I wouldn't have replied at all," he added.
In his press conference, Rohit Sharma had completely denied the ball tampering allegations, asking the critics to be "open-minded" instead.
"What should I say now about this? You are playing in such hot sun, the wicket is so dry, the ball reverses automatically. It's happening for all the teams, not only ours. All the teams are reverse-swinging. Sometimes, it's important to open your mind. It's important to understand what conditions you're playing in. The match is not taking place in England or Australia," Rohit had said.
Team India’s campaign in this World Cup has been flawless so far. The Men in Blue defeated Ireland, Pakistan and USA in the group stage matches in New York while their fixture against Canada was abandoned due to wet outfield in Florida.
Subsequently, the Indian team travelled to the Caribbean for the Super 8 round, where they triumphed over Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Australia to enter the semis.
In the semi-final, India outclassed the defending champions England in all facets of the game to make it to the final for the first time since 2014.
Rohit Sharma’s team will face South Africa in the title clash in Barbados on Saturday (June 29).
