Need practice to break saliva habit: Ashwin

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin says he will need practice to break the habit of applying saliva to shine the ball, an age-old ploy which faces a potential ban when cricket resumes after the coronavirus shutdown.

“For me as a bowler, putting saliva on the ball comes naturally, and it will take practice to avoid that,” Ashwin said.

Cricketers have long used saliva and sweat to shine one side of the ball, altering the aerodynamics in an attempt to generate movement in the air. -