How Saliva Ban Made It Difficult For Jasprit Bumrah Vs England

Chennai: Jasprit Bumrah, the spearhead of Team India’s bowling attack, missed applying saliva on the cricket ball as England moved into a position of strength on the opening day of the first Test against England here on Friday.

Powered by in-form skipper Joe Root’s unbeaten century in his 100th Test, England reached 263 for 3 on a pitch which didn’t assist bowlers in any way.

“The ball did become soft after a while and the wicket is on flatter side with the bounce being less. You are left with limited options (to shine ball). We are trying to figure out what we can do with the limited things on hand, at that time,” Bumrah said at the virtual media conference.

Bumrah, who took two of the three England wickets, said the hosts found it difficult to maintain the ball due to the ban on use of saliva last year following the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Yes, it becomes difficult when the ball becomes soft and doesn’t shine really well because of new COVID-19 rules, we can’t use saliva, very difficult during that time to maintain the ball,” Bumrah said.

“In India, the ball gets scuffed up easily. So to make the ball heavy, you have to shine one side sometimes, with sweat and it doesn’t really serve the purpose. You can’t make one side heavy with sweat and it doesn’t really work that way,” he explained.

But he added that everyone has to play by the rules that are in place for a reason.

Also Read: No More Saliva Polishing Of Cricket Balls, Recommends ICC Panel