Covid-19 to take shine off Indian ‘spitballs’
• Handshakes out, but SA skipper De Kock says they plan to shine the ball
Using saliva to shine the cricket ball could be banned for Indian players in the one-day series against the Proteas because of coronavirus concerns, India paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar said on Wednesday.
India has insisted the three matches against SA will go ahead despite growing fears over the virus. The number of cases in India has doubled to 60 in four days.
The disease can be spread when small droplets containing the virus land on objects that are then touched by a person, who then touches their eyes, nose or mouth, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Kumar said the Indian cricket team consulted doctors on Wednesday about whether to use saliva, which bowlers rub on one side of the leather ball to help it swing. A decision would be taken at a team meeting ahead of the first game in Dharamsala on Thursday, he said. “I can’t say right now we will not use saliva because if we don’t use saliva then how will we shine the ball?” Kumar Said.
“Then we will get hit and you people will say you are not bowling well.”
Kumar said bowlers would follow the doctors’ orders: “Whatever instruction we get or whatever is the best option we will do.”
They have already been told to stay away from fans.
Proteas coach Mark Boucher has said his players should avoid handshakes at matches because of the virus, which has killed more than 4,000 people around the world.
Cricket SA approved the India tour after medical and security experts gave it the green light.
Team captain Quinton de Kock said both teams had been tested and were healthy, adding SA would continue to use saliva.
“We will still shine the ball. Our team doctors and management have made sure we are all fit and don’t have coronavirus. We will still attend to that and keep the ball shining,” he told reporters.
Kumar insisted all players would take every precaution to tackle the coronavirus but refused to speculate on whether the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament should start on March 29.
“You cannot say anything right now because it [the virus] is leading to a dangerous situation in India,” Kumar said.
New Proteas captain De Kock has welcomed the return to the ODI squad of his predecessor Faf du Plessis.
“Faf plays a big role for us from a leadership point of view. He’s here to help out a lot of the younger guys in the team, and he still adds a lot of value to us and he also knows he has lot of value to give to this team,” De Kock told a news conference on the eve of the match.
“It’s still great to have him around. The experience he has picked up over the years will be a great help to us in this series.
“He’s been given a chance to
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have a break. I feel it was important for him to put his feet up for a bit and regather his thoughts.”
De Kock replaced Du Plessis as skipper of the ODI team for the three-match series against England, when Du Plessis was surprisingly left out in a clear signal that his tenure was headed to an end.
Du Plessis then quit as SA captain across all three formats of cricket, but said he would remain available for selection and after also being left out for the 3-0 home series win against Australia over the last fortnight, was restored to the squad for the three matches in India.
“We understand we have an inexperienced next side in these conditions, so it’s important that guys like me and Faf help lead the way,” said De Kock.
“India have become an unbelievable team but we are also coming here with a lot of confidence.”
The second international is in Lucknow on Sunday and the third in Kolkata on March 18. /