Rajasthan Royals' player Robin Uthappa seems to have had a brain-fade moment during the Steve Smith's team's clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai on Wednesday.
The video of Uthappa purportedly applying saliva on the ball after he dropped KKR's Sunil Narine in the fifth ball of third over went viral on social media.
Cricketers usually apply saliva on the ball to shine it-- something that has been banned by ICC ever since the COVID-19 pandemic kicked in.
Fans were in for a shock as photos and videos of Uthappa impulsively using his saliva on the ball made rounds of the Internet. In fact, many of them urged the higher authorities to take action against the "careless" cricketer.
Robin Uthappa just used saliva on the cricket ball. Is it not banned by @ICC#RRvKKR#IPL2020 @bhogleharsha pic.twitter.com/EWilsl9Z01
— बेरोज़गार (@ItsRaviMaurya) September 30, 2020
Robin Uthappa accidentally applies saliva on the ball during KKR vs RR game pic.twitter.com/oiDcX0SqNd
— Ashutosh Manglam (@ashumanglam) September 30, 2020
Robin Uthappa just used saliva on the ball after dropping that catch!!!!! Surely there's got to be some kind of punishment?!
— Goku. (@KingKosser) September 30, 2020
Robin Uthappa used saliva on the ball today in the match. pic.twitter.com/hxL14HB4x3
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 30, 2020
I don't know if officials are keeping a note of it. Robin Uthappa applied SALIVA to the ball right after dropping the catch. @IamNicck
— Faisal (@FaisalS70965365) September 30, 2020
Isn't applying saliva on the ball against the laws owing to #Covid19 outbreak and the ongoing #Pandemic? Certainly not expected from a senior cricketer like Robin Uthappa.@BCCI @IPL @SGanguly99 #IPL #IPL2020 #KKR #RR #KKRvsRR #RRvsKKR #KKRvRR #RRvKKR #RajasthanRoyals pic.twitter.com/ABsV35ZucJ
— Bihan Sengupta (@BihanSengupta91) September 30, 2020
"Players will not be permitted to use saliva to shine the ball. If a player does apply saliva to the ball, the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning," the ICC had earlier said in a notification.
"A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side. Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommenced," the statement further read.
But why is Saliva banned in cricket?
The WHO has confirmed that coronavirus spreads through droplets, either directly or indirectly. For it to spread directly, you must come in contact with the droplets secreted by an infected person either through his/her mouth or nose.
This usually happens when a person sneezes or coughs without covering their mouth. Spitting also leads to droplets in the air, especially since there is no question of covering the mouth in this case.
As for the indirect transmission, droplets tend to remain suspended in air and on various surfaces for a long period of time. If you come in contact with this, you too could be infected. This is also known as the aerosol transmission of Covid-19.