Published: Mar 20, 2025, 06:46 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 20, 2025, 06:46 PM (IST)
India pacer Mohammed Siraj on Thursday wholeheartedly welcomed the BCCI’s decision to lift the saliva ban ahead of IPL 2025, saying it will help the bowlers find “reverse swing” even in benign conditions.
The BCCI removed the ban on use of saliva on the cricket ball after a majority of the team captains agreed to its proposal, making it the first major competition to do away with the restriction that was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s very good for bowlers. It’s excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything, applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing,” Siraj told PTI.
“It sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help (to get reverse swing). But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining (the shine on one side), and it is important,” Siraj added.
Siraj, who was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of last year’s auction, rated Shubman Gill, his new skipper at Gujarat Titans, as a bowler’s dream.
“It’s a good feeling to join Gujarat ahead of the new season. Yeah, it was a bit emotional for me to leave RCB because Virat bhai had supported me a lot in tough times, but we have a fantastic team here under Gill,” Siraj said.
“If you talk about Gill, then he is a bowler’s captain. He never tries to stop you from trying something new or hinder your plans. We have made our Test debut together (vs Australia in 2020) and we share a very good personal rapport too,” Siraj added.
