Former India leg-spinner-turned-commentator, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, backed the decision taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to impose ban on usage of saliva as a ball-applicator for maintenance of shine in wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The ban is part of interim health safety measures taken by the ICC for cricket matches played before the pandemic is completely over.
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Sivaramakrishnan understands why bowlers and well-wishers of the sport are complaining, fearing how the ban will affect the game's overall balance. But said it was the need of the hour, adding skillful pacers and spinners will still find a way in Test cricket.
"It is only for the fast bowlers that it might affect the reverse swing. Even in reverse swing they can use the sweat and make one side of the ball heavy and try and see if the ball reverses," Sivaramakrishnan told the Times of India.
"The game has been changing constantly and this is the one factor they had to take into consideration because of the pandemic. They had to take this precautionary measure because of the Covid-19 situation. But skilled bowlers will always find a way to get the wickets and unskilled bowlers will always find excuses."
"As far as spinners are concerned, there should not be much of a problem, when the ball is rough you get better grip of the ball. So I don't think it will hamper the spinners too much," he added.
Sivaramakrishnan reckons bowlers should take this as a challenge and not complain that much, considering the difficult surfaces batsmen have had to encounter in the last four-five years in Tests.
"Whatever they talk about but the fact is that most of the Test matches finish in four days. So how can one describe it as a batsmen's game?" he asked.
"Only in one-day cricket where you get flat wickets and they get 300 or 350 and all that due to small boundaries and flat wickets. But in Test cricket you don't see draws anymore, you rarely get to see matches go into Day 5, even if it goes into Day 5, there is a result."
"If the bowlers are able to get a side all out once or twice then how would it be in the batsman's favour, I don't know. It's not right to give excuses, they have to take it as a challenge and stand up and perform," Sivaramakrishnan added.
(Inputs from TOI)
