To shine or not, bowlers in a fix in Dharamsala

Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, March 11

In the times of the coronavirus, big-ticket cricket will return to India when the first One Day International (ODI) between India and South Africa is played here on Thursday.

This will be the first big sporting event in India since Covid-19 made landfall in the country, and players are grappling with questions regarding safe practices while playing cricket. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has instructed the players to have minimum contact with fans and avoid eating out at restaurants without being aware of their hygiene standards.

Pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was more concerned about how the players would be able to shine the ball without using saliva. “We have thought about this but I can’t say right now we will not use saliva, because if we don’t use saliva then how will we shine the ball?” he asked, and added: “Then we will get hit and you people will say you are not bowling well!” “But it’s a valid point…. Let’s see, we will have a team meeting today and whatever instructions we get or whatever is the best option, we will do that,” he said.

Meanwhile, news came that the IPL — scheduled to begin on March 29 — may be played in empty stadiums in Mumbai as the Maharashtra Government could ban ticket sales. Bhuvneshwar said the team was taking “every precaution”. “You cannot say anything right now (about IPL) because it’s a dangerous situation in India. But we are taking every precaution we can take. We have a team doctor with us and he is giving us instructions about the dos and don’ts. So we hope it won’t go much further,” he said.

Good decision?

So, at a time when sporting events, social gatherings and even marriage ceremonies are being rescheduled across the world due to the coronavirus, the BCCI and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) will be opening the gates of their 22,000-capacity stadium to a strange situation. “It’s not a wise decision to hold a large gathering, I would say. The virus is definitely a concern,” said Prabhat Rana, a banker. “But the way it rained today, I am not sure how many people will go to see the match in the stadium.”

HPCA general secretary Sumeet Sharma said, “Ticket sales have been very encouraging. Despite people creating scaremongering about Covid-19 threat, there is a genuine interest among cricket fans here. It rained here today but we will have a match tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, South Africa coach Mark Boucher made it clear that the visitors will desist from the customary handshakes during the tour of India.