COVID-19: Jasprit Bumrah expresses concerns over ‘no saliva’ rule in post-pandemic cricket

There has been no cricket for almost two-and-half months. As the world fights its way to normalcy, the expectation is to live with the coronavirus. The ICC’s Cricket Committee recently concluded on banning saliva on the ball as a part of the safety protocol. In a sport that’s heavily tilting towards batters, shining the ball with sweat and saliva in order to maintain it and generate swing is all bowlers depend on.

Bowlers rubbing the ball with saliva on their way to the mark before steaming in is a sight embedded in the sport’s core. Like many other bowlers, India’s spearhead Jaspirt Bumrah, too, expressed his concerns.

In an interview with former great pacers Ian Bishop and Shaun Pollock on ICC’s video series Inside Out, Bumrah was questioned on the prospect of no saliva, high-fives or hugging.

“I was not much of a hugger anyway! And not a high-five person as well, so that doesn’t trouble me a lot. The only thing that interests me is the saliva bit. I don’t know what guidelines we’ll have to follow when we come back, but I feel there should be an alternative. If the ball is not well maintained, it’s difficult for the bowlers,” said Bumrah before expressing his unease at the fact that the game has drifted towards batters.

“The grounds are getting shorter and shorter; the wickets are becoming flatter and flatter. So, we need something, some alternative for the bowlers to maintain the ball so that it can do something - maybe reverse in the end or conventional swing,” he added.

The 26-year-old Gujarat pacer was soon pointed out by Bishop on how wickets in Test cricket have been pace-friendly over the past few years.

“In Test match cricket, yes. That is why it’s my favourite format because we have something over there. But in One-Day Cricket and T20 cricket… One-Day cricket there are two new balls, so it hardly reverses at the end. We played in New Zealand, the ground (boundary) was 50 metres. So even if you are not looking to hit a six, it will go for six. In Test matches I have no problem, I’m very happy with the way things are going,” Bumrah explained.

Bumrah made his India debut in the ODI series in Australia in 2016. He impressed immediately, and in a short while, he took rapid strides to emerge as one of the world’s best pacers. In less than two years, he was drafted into the Test side and made his debut in South Africa. Bumrah is currently the world ranked seventh and second in Tests and ODIs, respectively.