Lack of substitute for saliva leaves bowlers handicapped: Sachin Tendulkar

The game of cricket in the post-Covid-19 era has gone undergone multiple transitions. Terms like ‘bio-bubble’, ‘quarantine’ have become a mandatory part of what is called the ‘new normal’. In such testing times, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has gone a step ahead to ensure the safety of the sport and its people is taken care of.

One of the biggest on-field challenges has been the use of saliva by bowlers. As per new rules, the ICC has categorically prohibited the use of saliva on the cricket ball. Players can now use sweat as a substitute to shine the ball. However, the move was met with widespread criticism across countries. A few weeks ago, India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah said that the saliva ban could impact Test cricket, particularly the reverse swing factor.

Now, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar has echoed Bumrah’s sentiments. Speaking to ANI in an interview, Tendulkar said that the saliva ban and the lack of a proper substitute are hampering the game. He added that it is giving batsmen an unfair advantage while the bowlers are handicapped because of their dependency on the saliva factor.

“Every day is not the same”

With the new rules in place, the Indian team is likely to have a tough time against the Australian team in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series. India are already without their pace leader Ishant Sharma, which means the other bowlers need to shoulder more responsibility. With saliva out of the picture, they will have to better alternative ways to dismantle the Aussie batting unit.

But Tendulkar thinks every day isn’t the same in sport. According to the former India captain, it isn’t fair to judge a team’s performance in Tests based on their white-ball outings. It’s also not possible for any team to get everything right in every single match. The formats are different and so is the balance between bat and ball.

The Master Blaster added that he would like the Indian bowlers to forget the past and focus solely on Test cricket at the moment. And it seems like the Indian bowling attack is listening to the Master, considering their impactful performance in the recently concluded warm-up games against Australia A.