Southampton: Senior India speedster Ishant Sharma believes that the ball will swing even without using saliva during the World Test Championship (WTC) final. India will take on New Zealand here in the final beginning June 18. Ishant Sharma however, was also quick to add the shine and maintenance of the ball right through the match.
The 32-year-old, a veteran of 101 Tests, is expected to lead the Indian bowling attack. For company he will have Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
“I think the ball will swing even without saliva. However, somebody needs to take responsibility to maintain the ball,” Sharma said a TV show, Tuesday. “And if the ball is maintained well in these conditions, then it becomes easier for the bowlers to take wickets,” he added.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has prohibited bowlers from applying saliva to the ball. This decision was taken since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
Ishant who has 303 Test wickets to his name, said adjusting to lengths is important in England. “You need to train differently and adapt to the change. In India, you get the reverse swing after some time, but in England, the length is fuller because of the swing,” the tall fast bowler pointed out.
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“So, you have to adjust to the lengths. It is not easy to force that and the weather here is cooler so it takes time to acclimatise to the conditions. And quarantine makes it difficult…The way you train in the gym and the training on the ground is very different. So you have to adjust to that and it takes time,” he added.
Meanwhile, young India opener Shubman Gill said that to survive in England, batsmen need to leave the loose balls.
“When I toured England with India A and the Under-19 team, everyone asked me to play a certain number of balls if I wanted to score runs. But I feel your intent to score runs should never go on the back seat. It should remain even when you should look to survive,” said the 21-year-old, who has played seven Tests so far.
“When you are looking to score runs, the bowlers get to the back-foot. You can then put some pressure on the bowler. I think, at times to survive in England you have to leave the loose balls,” he added.
