Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has commented on the changes in WOrld Cricket one the game resume in a post-COVID-19 World. He shares how applying saliva on the ball is a habit for many and will take some practice to get rid of it.
Earlier this week, The ICC Cricket Committee meeting headed by Anil Kumbe decided to ban the use of saliva. Responding to the same, Ashwin said, “I don’t know (when is) the next time I go out there. It is natural for me to put saliva. It’s going to take some practice (to not apply saliva). But I think, if we all have to co-exist, which is the DNA of the human race, we will have to try and adapt to this.”
Talking about his carrom ball, Ashwin also recalled how he developed the carrom ball. He shared how roughly it took him four years to develop it.
“It’s more about trying these variations and the disappointments you get with it. Imagine trying 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.
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“It’s no mean achievement. Your finger, body need to understand it so on and so forth,” said the man who has taken 365 wickets in 71 Tests. For me, when I was trying this carrom ball, I was expecting it to get it right every day. But every day despite bowling hundreds of deliveries, I will return home with the 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.”
And then he tried reverse carrom. “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.”
Ashwin also mentioned how he feels COVID-19 spread is a way of nature indicating humans should start respecting planet earth.
“I probably think, this is the whole way the elephant in the room – COVID19, is probably a lesson for humanity in the whole – of trying to tell us – hey you know what try and take a back step, you know you are stamping my feet all the time, you are spoiling nature, you are not listening to what is required, because humanity thrives – our race is thrived because of what planet is.
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“It is unfair how much we have inflicted damage on it, so I think that is an extension of what the game should be like. We should also understand that we need to appreciate all these things, maintain a certain sense of decorum and dignity, probably,” he said.
