EXCLUSIVE: Use of saliva in cricket should be banned, non-contact sports should start when possible, says Venkatesh Prasad

NEW DELHI: According to reports, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering legalising the usage of artificial substances under the supervision of the umpires, instead of saliva and sweat to shine the ball. Australia has already banned the use of saliva and sweat on cricket balls.

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad is not in the favour of using any external substance on the leather. Prasad, who played 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India and was one of the key bowlers in the side, feels the one alternative of saliva, when cricket resumes, can be sweat.
“Whether it's the International Cricket Council (ICC) or BCCI or other sports bodies, they need to find some sort of a framework. For example, I'm talking about IPL. Probably, what I would do is, if this has to go on, if the show has to go on, then I would probably ask the players to travel on chartered flights instead of on regular flights. So, that's one way of distancing oneself, having a social distance and maintaining the hygiene aspect as well. So, those are the things that one can work around,” Prasad told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.

“And obviously completely taking saliva out of the equation. Nobody can use saliva of course. No matter how healthy, no matter how fit one is, I think for the time being saliva should be really removed. Yes, it is a major weapon for a fast bowler and especially a swing bowler and one thing for sure (is) that you cannot allow any external object or any external things to be used on the leather (ball). I'm completely against it. You cannot use anything. Probably the only thing that can be allowed or that would be possible is to apply is sweat," the 50-year-old veteran pacer said.

Worcestershire's Kabir Ali shining the ball with saliva in the match against Leicestershire (Getty file photo)

Bowlers use saliva to shine one side of the ball in an attempt to generate swing or movement in the air. Prasad said the ban of saliva will affect fast bowlers and medium pacers to a great extent. He also said the ban of saliva will snatch a weapon from a fast bowler’s armoury.

“It's 100 percent. It is going to totally take the most crucial part out of a bowler's skills. But then again, you've got to go by the environment, you've got to adapt. That's what the sportsmen are. They should know how to adapt. You should be able to adapt to different conditions, different environments. So, this is one such environment, which is very unfortunate. But then what's very important is the safety of people, safety of players, safety of the spectators. So, whenever cricket resumes, it will take some time for people to think about what has happened and how serious the situation is or was and adapt to those changes. Every single individual needs to adapt to changes. They need to change their lifestyle now. They've got to be extremely hygienic. They have to maintain social distancing and we have been talking about it. So, in that sense, we are fortunate that cricket is not a sport which has much contact. It's not like rugby or football. So, in that sense, when things settle down, I think cricket should start very soon. I don't know how long it's going to take, maybe two months, maybe four months, six months, I'm not very sure about it," Prasad said.

“It's also important for the board (BCCI) to think about. Yes, of course the health aspect that they have thought about, no doubt about it. But also, they need to look at the money coming into the coffers as well. It's not just the cricket or football federations or any sport for that matter or tennis federations, they all are losing money. So, whichever is a non-contact sport, I think that should be allowed,” he said.

Since there is no decision on the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season and the upcoming T20 World Cup yet, the players around the world are eagerly waiting to hit the field. IPL was scheduled to start on March 29 but the tournament was first postponed to April 15 and then suspended till further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Will it be difficult for the players to get their mojo back once they hit the field after the lockdown is over? Prasad, who played 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India advised players to spend as much time in the gym and work out rigorously as possible.

“You might not be physically involved in anything but there is something that you can always visualise - the mental side of the game. Keep playing those scenarios in your mind, visualise those scenarios. And if you're recording any of your matches or your performances - bowling or batting, whatever, try and watch those batting and bowling performances. And try to recreate those moments when you tackled the pressure and how you came up victorious. So, try and create those mentally. Visualising helps a lot in terms of getting your performances to another level,” the former India fast bowler said.

“I would say enjoy the break. Enjoy the lockdown. Enjoy as much as time with your family. Our cricketers spend so much time away from family. They travel most of the time and are busy in meeting the expectations of billions. I think this is a good time to take a break, (get over) injuries and niggles, if you have got. Spend as much time in the gym in your home and work out. You can do a lot of video calls and stuff like that with your trainers and physios. You don't have to really go and visit them so you can always do it on your own, using technology. And also, even if you don't have any gym set up, if you don't have any training equipment, just go up and down the house. If you're living in an apartment, climb the stairs. I will advise them to cover about 10 kilometers a day,” he said.

“You got to experiment and you've got to come up with some ideas. The thing is that you can't be practicing. You don't have the bowling or the batting opportunities to go and practice your skills, but then that is how it is. This is all I want to convey to the budding and professional cricketers,” the 50-year-old, who took 96 Test and 196 ODI wickets said.

Indian fans will always remember Prasad, who formed an attacking new ball bowling partnership, with Javagal Srinath, for the infamous 1996 World Cup incident, when he after being hit for a boundary and sledged by Pakistan’s Aamir Sohail, clean bowled the Pakistan batsman off the very next ball.

Venkatesh Prasad celebrates with Nayan Mongia after taking the wicket of Aamir Sohail. (Getty file photo)


Prasad, who last played for India in 2001 also spoke about his life under lockdown.

“I am helping my wife. I'm working on a course which is affiliated to the University of London. It is called International sport management. That's exactly what I'm doing. It's a post-graduation certificate of international sports management. And at the moment, I'm doing sports strategy governance and leadership. That's one module. And the other one that I'm doing is international sport development. I'm positioning myself for certain things. Let's see how it goes,” Prasad signed off.