Yuzvendra Chahal Reckons Spinners Will Also Be Affected Due To Saliva Ban

Yuzvendra Chahal, Indian right-arm leg-spinner, has reckoned that spinners will be as much affected as the fast bowlers due to the ban on the usage of saliva on a cricket ball.

The International Cricket Council [ICC] has banned the use of saliva which bowlers use to shine a cricket ball in order to induce reverse-swing. Following the move, a number of former and current players have cast apprehensions, asserting that the decision will further tilt the balance in favor of the batsmen.

Chahal feels that spin bowlers will also be impacted as it will hinder their ability to drift- sideways movement in the air when a slow bowler imparts spin- the ball, making it easier for the batsmen during the middle-overs.

“When you use a natural element like saliva, it helps pacers with swing and spinners with the drift,” Chahal said on ESPNCricinfo.

He added: “If as a spinner, I cannot get the drift in the middle overs, the batsmen will have it easy. This is something that will affect every bowler in the world. I will have to figure out a solution once I start bowling in the nets,”

Also Read: Irfan Pathan Calls For The Preparation Of Bowler-Friendly Pitches In The Wake Of The Saliva Ban

“Spinners use saliva too to maintain the shine of the ball”- Yuzvendra Chahal

Besides that, Chahal said that spinners play a big role in maintaining the shine of the ball for their fast bowlers.

“Spinners use saliva too to maintain the shine of the ball because we are aware that pacers will bowl after us or are bowling from the other end,” Yuzvendra Chahal reckoned.

“And I would like to maintain the condition of the ball in a way that it helps pacers whenever they come. Pacers also think the same way. When they see spinners coming, they refrain from shining the ball too much. This is how we plan things.” he added.

Yuzvendra Chahal is not the first one to voice his apprehensions against the move to ban the use of saliva. Former cricketers like Wasim Jaffer, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, and Irfan Pathan have urged the ICC to prepare sporting pitches to ensure that the balance does not sway in favor of the batsmen while Wasim Akram and Jasprit Bumrah have batted for the use of an alternative [Read: artificial substance] to help bowlers shine the ball.

However, the likes of Deepak Chahar and Dinesh Karthik have reckoned that the saliva ban will not have much effect in white-ball cricket.

Also Read: Dinesh Karthik Reckons Saliva Ban Would Not Affect ODIs and T20Is As Much As Test Cricket