Deepak Chahar
India's white ball specialist Deepak Chahar on Wednesday opined that the temporary prohibition of the use of saliva to shine the ball will not affect T20 cricket much.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday accepted the interim reccomendations of its Cricket Committee one of which included the ban on the use of saliva.
While veteran cricketers and bowlers across the globe has accepted the ban while calling for an alternative to saliva in a bid to maintain an equal contest between bat and ball, Chahar, who has played three ODIs and 10 T20Is for India, said the issue won't have much of an impact in white-ball cricket.
Speaking on the issue, Chahar told Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected', "I don't think it will impact us so much because the white ball only swings for 2 overs.
"If we talk about the T20 format, the wicket is good for only 2-3 overs and the ball swings for 3 overs, so it reduces the need to shine the ball."
As per the new ICC rule, players will not be allowed to use saliva to shine the ball in a bid to contain the spread of the virus with each team being issued two warnings per innings. However, repeated use of saliva will result in a five-run penalty.
"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 statement explained. "Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommences."
