Natural for Me to Put Saliva on Ball, But Will Have to Adapt: R Ashwin

India off-spinner R Ashwin said it’s ‘natural’ for him to apply saliva on the cricket ball, but said he would adapt to the new rules enforced due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The ICC has temporarily banned bowlers from applying saliva to shine balls, while allowing them to use sweat.

“I don’t know (when) the next time I go out there. It is natural for me to put saliva. It’s going to take some practise (to stop it). But I think, if we all have to co-exist, which is the DNA of human race, we will have to try and adapt to this,” Ashwin said during an Instagram chat with Delhi Capitals.

Ashwin also expected changes in the way bowlers celebrate wickets.

“If you watch those classic games of 1970 or 80s, wicket celebration was people use to stand away from each other and keep clapping, you never really had high five’s and wrist pumps. It developed much later in the game,” he said.

Ashwin recalled his early days when a childhood coach predicted his rise as an off-spinner although he was predominantly an opening batsman then.

“I played as an opening batsman at the under-17 level and used to bowl a bit of off-spin. When I was about to join college my coach told me that you will go on to play for India as an off-spinner,” said the spinner with 365 wickets in 71 Tests.

Talking about the carrom ball, he said: “It’s more about trying these variations and the disappointments you get with it. Imagine try to play carrom with your middle finger and you’re trying to push a cricket ball of that weight that cannot be compressed and you are trying to push it with velocity and trying it to spin. It’s no mean achievement. Your finger, body need to understand it so on and so forth.

“For me, when I was trying this carrom ball, I was expecting it to get it right everyday. But everyday despite bowling hundreds of deliveries, I will return home with disappointment of not being able to achieve what I had set out to achieve.

“That was a very very annoying state because you go through the practice and all with a dream in your head. But it does not pan out as quickly as you expected.”

Later on, Ashwin developed a ‘reverse’ carrom too.

“I tried the reverse carrom, which I bowl at will now. I have been trying the googly. All these things tested my patience. But I feel when it tests your patience is when you need to be extra hard working, extra rudimentary and extra confident of your skills.”