Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Prasidh Krishna shed light on how the use of saliva in order to shine the ball has benefited fast bowlers during the ongoing IPL 2025 season.
The practice of using saliva to polish the ball was initially banned during the COVID-19 pandemic by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and subsequently followed in the IPL. However, ahead of this season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) lifted the restriction. Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami had earlier emphasized how vital saliva can be in producing reverse swing.
Since then, bowlers such as Prasidh Krishna, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, and Prince Yadav have made effective use of it, managing to extract reverse swing and trouble batters.
Saliva has made a difference: Prasidh
Speaking at the JioStar press room, Prasidh said, “It has definitely made a difference. When you use saliva, even if it impacts just one of the 120 balls you bowl, that one delivery could lead to a wicket or a crucial dot ball.”
He further explained, “If that breakthrough comes at a critical juncture, like dismissing a set batter, it can slow the run rate and swing the momentum back in the bowling side’s favor. It’s a chain reaction, and it’s certainly helped the bowlers this season.”
Currently, Prasidh sits second on the Purple Cap leaderboard with 16 wickets, trailing Josh Hazlewood, who has 18 scalps. Against his former team, Rajasthan Royals (RR), Prasidh will be eager to deliver another standout performance and reclaim the top spot in the Purple cap leaderboard.
For the Latest Sports News: Follow RevSportz