Ravichandran Ashwin shuts down Mohammed Shami with bold message over 'saliva ban' statement

Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his views on his former India teammate Mohammed Shami's recent remarks about the saliva ban.

The India pacer recently urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to lift the ban on the use of saliva on the ball. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ICC had put a ban on using saliva to polish the ball. At that time, it was a temporary measure and it was expected that the ban would be lifted once the pandemic subsides.

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However, the ICC made the ban permanent in September 2022. As a result, the players are no longer allowed to polish the ball with their saliva. Recently, Shami urged the ICC to reconsider the decision while also saying that the ban has made it difficult for the bowlers to get reverse swing.

"We are trying [to get reverse swing], but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed. We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting," said Shami while talking to the reporters after India's victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal.

Ravichandran Ashwin responds:

With Mohammed Shami urging the ICC to lift the ban on the use of saliva, Ravichandran Ashwin has made an interesting claim. The former India spin spearhead said that the ICC are reluctant to lift the ban because their research showed that the saliva is not effective in extracting reverse swing.

Ravichandran Ashwin also said that the ICC should indeed consider lifting the ban if it is not a problem. At the same time, the India great stated that cricketers would have to get on with it if the governing body of the game decided to stick with its decision.

"ICC released some papers after research showed that saliva did not aid reverse swing much, not putting saliva on the ball has not made a huge difference.

I do not know how they did the research, but saliva should be allowed again if it is not a problem. Otherwise, cricketers have to get on with it," Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat.'

Meanwhile, Shami is currently busy playing in the Champions Trophy. India have qualified for the final and will be taking on New Zealand in the title decider. The match is scheduled to be played on Sunday (March 9) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.