While the International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering legalizing the use of artificial substances on the ball to prevent the virus from spreading after the Covid-19 pandemic, some cricketers in India believe spit sweating is such a thing which cannot be completely eliminated. Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra and spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that the use of spit is necessary to make the ball shine. Former opener Akash Chopra agrees with the idea, but he wants to know where the boundary will be. Though discussions are in the initial stage, questions are being asked about which synthetic materials can be used if ball tampering is legalized. So would it be a bottle cap in a pocket to scrape a ball or a Vaseline (made by John Lever) or a chain zipper to make the ball shine?
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Ashish Nehra completely rejected the idea of using artificial substances and told PTI, keep in mind one thing, if you do not spit or sweat the ball, the ball will not swing. This swing is the most important thing in bowling. As soon as the ball is scratched from one side, sweat has to be spit from the other side. He then explained how Vaseline cannot help fast bowlers. Ashish Nehra said, now understand why spit is needed? Sweat is heavier than spit, but both are so heavy that they make one side of the ball heavier for reverse swing. Vaseline can be used only after this, not before it. Because it is light, it can brighten the ball but cannot make the ball heavy.
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Harbhajan Singh also agreed that spit is more heavy if someone chewed 'mint' then it becomes heavier because it contains sugars. But when it comes to the use of artificial material, then he wants to know what are its options. He said, it is not that 'Mint' should be used without putting it in the mouth. It makes the ball heavier by mixing in sugars. A scrapped ball is also good for spinners, so it would be better to catch it while a glowing ball cannot do so. But my question is what will be the limit if you give permission? Chopra said that unless the ICC does not tell what the artificial substances will be, it is useless to say anything. He said, "I always feel that there should be no problem in the use of 'Mint'. But now they do not want to allow it either. But if you change the rules then let them use vaseline, but God knows where all this will end."
