‘I Think It Is Not That Difficult To Swing The Ball Even Without Saliva’: Ishant Sharma

The cricket world is humming with curiosity as India prepares to face New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. The competition will take place at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from June 18 to June 22. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has restricted the use of saliva in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, so the bowlers are sure to have some issues coming into the match.

When asked about it, India’s star pacer Ishant Sharma said that not using saliva won’t have a significant impact on the bowlers. Ishant believes that without the saliva, the ball would swing more and that if the ball is well maintained, bowlers would have an easier time picking wickets.

“I think it is not that difficult. I think the ball will swing even without saliva and somebody needs to take responsibility to maintain the ball. And if the ball is maintained well in these conditions, then it becomes easier for the bowlers to take wickets in these conditions,” Ishant said while speaking on Cricket Connected.

Conditions in England are very different from those in India

Furthermore, the speedster discussed the pitch as well as the weather conditions in England. The playing conditions in England are very different from those in India, thus it will be difficult for visitors to adjust fast. Ishant went on to say that the bowlers needed to acclimate to the lengths rapidly, but that the quarantine had made it impossible. India completed a 14-day quarantine period in India before beginning their practice session, followed by a five-day isolation period in the UK.

“You need to train differently and adapt to the change. In India, you get the reverse swing after some time, but in England, the length is fuller because of the swing. So, you have to adjust to the lengths. It is not easy to force that and the weather here is cooler so it takes time to acclimatize to the weather.

“And the quarantine makes it difficult because you cannot go to the ground, after IPL we were not allowed to go to the grounds and train. The way you train in the gym and the training on the ground is very different, so you have to adjust to that and it takes time,” Ishant Sharma concluded.