Bowlers need an alternative to maintain the ball: Jasprit Bumrah

The coronavirus pandemic has not only changed the way of living but also it has forced to make some necessary changes in sports too. Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Committee has prohibited the use of saliva to shine the ball in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus when matches resume after the COVID-19 break.

Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah, however, raised concern over the ban on saliva and wants the alternative to maintaining the shine of the ball as he thinks that modern-day cricket has become more of a batsman-friendly game. So it will be difficult for the bowlers if there is no alternative option for shining the ball. However, the 26-year old does not have a problem with restrained celebrations as he thinks that he is not the high-five person.



"I was not much of a hugger anyway! And not a high-five person as well, so that doesn't trouble me a lot," Bumrah said on the ICC's video series, Inside Out Interviews with former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop and former South African captain Shaun Pollock.

"The only thing that interests me is the saliva bit. I don't know what guidelines we'll have to follow when we come back, but I feel there should be an alternative. If the ball is not well maintained, it's difficult for the bowlers".

"The grounds are getting shorter and shorter, the wickets are becoming flatter and flatter. So we need something, some alternative for the bowlers to maintain the ball so that it can do something - maybe reverse at the end or conventional swing. In Test match cricket, yes (conditions are more bowler-friendly). That is why it's my favorite format because we have something over there. But in one-day cricket, there are two new balls, so it hardly reverses at the end. We played in New Zealand, the ground (boundary) was 50 meters. So even if you are not looking to hit a six, it will go for six. In Test matches I have no problem, I'm very happy with the way things are going."



The pacer also said that he prefers to bowl with Duke balls as it assists more swing and seam as compared to SG balls and Kookaburra balls.

"I love bowling with Dukes. It seems, it swings, so basically when you have a little bit of help, it does help as it is difficult to be a fast bowler with grounds getting shorter and wickets getting flatter".

"So if the ball does something, it becomes even competition. So you feel you are in the game. With no help, you only have few things to play with. So I enjoy bowling most with Dukes ball." Bishop asked Bumrah about how he developed the outswinger, which becomes an inswinger for the left-handers and the India international called it a gradual process," Bumrah said.



Bumrah also talked about his short run-up and said that many people advised him to increase it to generate more pace but he felt that pace never increased with the length of his run-up.

"Playing in the backyard. My run-up is because of that as we didn't have so much of space, so this (8 step run-up) is the longest that you could have had, maybe this could have been the case. I have tried longer run-up and nothing changes, speed is still the same so why to run so much."

"Basically, I have never been coached a lot. No professional coaching or camps. Till date, everything is self-taught, everything, through TV, videos. There is no proper reason for action. I have never really listened to people who told that action needs to be changed, kept on developing on strengths if I could have self-belief," he said.

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