Former Pakistani fast bowler Sikander Bakht, in a recent appearance on a local news channel in Pakistan, has levelled serious allegations against Indian captain Rohit Sharma, claiming that during the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, Sharma manipulated coin tosses to favor India. Bakht contends that Sharma deliberately tosses the coin far from the opposing captain to prevent them from verifying the call, resulting in decisions that favor India.
In the first semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023 held at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on November 15, India secured a spot in the final by defeating New Zealand by 70 runs. Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat, leading to a formidable total of 397 runs for India, propelled by Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI century and Shreyas Iyer’s second consecutive ODI World Cup hundred.
New Zealand, in response, fell short of the 398-run target, getting all out for 327 runs in 48.5 overs. Indian bowler Mohammed Shami made history by taking seven wickets for 57 runs in 9.5 overs, becoming the first Indian bowler to achieve such a feat in an ODI match. India avenged its defeat in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
Mohammed Shami, along with Kohli, Iyer, and Sharma, played a pivotal role in India’s victory. Shami’s extraordinary performance with the ball was instrumental in securing the win. The team’s success has set the stage for a final showdown on November 19 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where India will face the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa and Australia.
Despite the outstanding performance and positive buzz around Rohit Sharma trending on the internet for his captaincy, the news has taken a controversial turn. Sikander Bakht’s claim of Sharma fixing tosses has added a layer of scrutiny to India’s success in the ODI World Cup 2023. Bakht, during his appearance on the Pakistani channel, described how Sharma strategically throws the coin out of the opposition captain’s reach, potentially influencing the outcome of the toss in India’s favour.
Here is the Video:
Very strange the way Rohit Sharma throw the coin at toss, far away, don’t let other Captains to see, compare to other Captains in the WC , any reason?? @BCCI @TheRealPCB @CricketAus @CricketSouthAfrica #sikanderbakht #WorldCup23 #IndiaVsNewZealand @ImRo45 @ICC pic.twitter.com/KxhR2QyUZm
— Sikander Bakht (@Sikanderbakhts) November 15, 2023
This accusation follows a pattern, as Bakht is not the first former Pakistani player to raise concerns about India’s conduct in the ODI World Cup 2023.
Previously, after India’s victories against Sri Lanka and South Africa, former batter Hasan Raza accused the team of using different balls and manipulating the Decision Review System (DRS). These allegations cast a shadow over India’s achievements in the tournament and raised questions about the integrity of the matches.
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