It Will Be Difficult To Suddenly Start Playing Without Saliva: Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav, the Indian fast bowler, is confident of finding a way and adjusting to the ban on the use of saliva, once he gets back to training on the ground.

The International Cricket Council [ICC] has banned the usage of saliva, as part of the precautionary measures in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision has attracted a lot of skepticism from both former and current cricketers since saliva is an integral part of generating reverse-swing.

Umesh Yadav, who has been India’s most successful Test bowler in the past decade on lifeless home tracks, courtesy his ability to make the SG ball talk reckons it will be difficult to suddenly start playing without using saliva.

“It will be difficult to suddenly start playing without the saliva. We haven’t started practising yet, once I get on the ground and practice playing without the use of saliva only then I will know how effective it is. With the old ball it’s still okay, but with the new ball, I don’t know how much it will shine minus the saliva,” Umesh Yadav told IANS.

The Vidarbha pace spearhead added that it wouldn’t much of a problem in white-ball cricket, but it certainly would be a tricky scenario in the longest format of the game.

“As the white ball swings for a less time, so for T20s it’s okay. But the main problem will be when we will play Test matches. If we can’t use saliva then we will have to think of new techniques to make the ball swing. Once practice starts only then we will know how to tackle it,” he reckoned.

Also Read: Skilled Bowlers Will Always Find A Way To Take Wickets: Laxman Sivaramakrishnan On Saliva Ban

‘Maintaining the workout discipline is difficult during the lockdown’- Umesh Yadav

Players have been forced to stay at home in the past three months due to lockdown, and Umesh revealed that while he did have a lot of temptations to be lazy and skip the routine, he didn’t let his mind get distracted and went on with his schedule.

“Actually, maintaining the workout discipline is difficult during the lockdown. Training is still fine but what is difficult is the action of the athlete like the feel of working out together at the ground. Also when you are at home and you can’t step out, at times you feel very lazy. I even think of taking an off day or cheat on a diet, but this is the most crucial time and we need to avoid the lazy thoughts and push yourself. I give at least 1-2 hrs a day to training without fail,” Umesh Yadav revealed.

Compared to batsmen, bowlers have a more arduous task ahead of them as far as getting back in rhythm while at the same time ensuring that they don’t get injured. Umesh reckoned that it is important for a bowler to train hard and focus on his muscles.

“As a professional whenever you go on the field or on the ground, you always want to give your 10percentnt. But you also need to consider the fact that since lockdown we are not practicing the way we used to, nor the activities are happening the same way. So physically it is a bit difficult to do bowling or fielding. Hence, once we are back on the field post the lockdown, we will have to start gradually and work on the muscles,” Umesh Yadav explained.

Also Read: Saliva Ban Won’t Make Much Of A Difference In England: Joe Root