If cricket can only resume in bio-secure venues, with the usage of saliva for ball-shining officially discontinued, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma says players should be ready to adjust for the betterment of the game amid COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussions are going on at the ICC level to possibly ban the traditional practice of using saliva, sweat to shine the cricket ball, which, containing respiratory droplets, is seen as a potential source of further Coronavirus spread.
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Ishant, giving his opinion on the matter, said players shouldn't mind if that is what is required to get the on-field play restarted.
"We know there are talks of some changes and adjustments in cricket, but I feel cricketers will have to get used to the new normal, whatever that is," said Ishant during an Instagram live with his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.
"The ball may not shine as per your liking if you are not allowed to use saliva, or you may have to go and fetch the ball yourself during nets - but there is no option but to get used to these things."
"But honestly I don't like to think about these things too much. I feel it is important to stay in the present and not look too far ahead," added the 31-year-old.
Ishant, who had gone unsold at the auction for IPL 2018, was bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) for the league's 2019 season, where he got the chance to play under coach Ricky Ponting's guidance.
"He's the best coach I've ever met. I was very nervous when I was making a return to the IPL last season. I was almost feeling like a debutante walking into the camp the first day, but he gave me a lot of confidence since the first day I arrived at the camp."
"He just told me, 'You're a senior player and you should help the youngsters. Just don't worry about anything - you're my first choice.' And I think that bit of conversation really helped me," said Ishant on Ponting, having played against the great Australian batsman in the first half of his career, including that famous spell at Perth.
"People still talk and ask me about the Perth Test, and the spell I bowled to him. Later that year when Australia visited India too, I was in great form."
"Gary (Kirsten) was our coach then, and he told me that the Australians play only to win...That success I had against them in 2008 is easily one of the highlights of my career," added the 97-Test veteran.
Ishant has been in magnificent form for India in Test match cricket since his county stint with Sussex in 2018, where he enjoyed working with coach Jason Gillespie.
"People keep saying Ishant 2.0, which makes it sound like I am a robot! But the phase before 2017 was one when the pressure to perform was a lot. I gave me sleepless nights, and I hardly found any joy in my bowling."
"My county stint (in 2018) with Sussex was what changed everything. It was a gruelling stint for me because I was bowling 22-23 overs in a day, batting as well, and then coming back home to do the chores. It was a tough drill but somehow I enjoyed it a lot," he said.
"It was kind of a self-realization also...credit also to Jason Gillespie who was my coach there. When I came back to India to play after that, I felt a lot free and focussed only on enjoying the present, which took off a lot of pressure from me," Ishant concluded.
(Inputs from PTI)
