Deep Dasgupta discusses changes in cricket post COVID-19

Deep Dasgupta, the former Indian cricketer, talked about the changes cricket might undergo after the massive coronavirus outbreak. He put forth his opinions in an exclusive chat with CricTracker on Instagram Live. The 42-year-old said that, bearing in mind how contagious the COVID-19 has been in the last few weeks, saliva should not be used in order to polish the cricket leather.

Recently, Australia iterated that they won’t be allowing its players to use sweat or saliva on the ball. As per reports, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) took the decision after consulting with the sporting bodies, medical experts and state governments. Australian manufacturers Kookaburra are developing a wax applicator as a substitute for sweat and saliva.

Travelling for teams will be limited: Deep Dasgupta

Dasgupta is of the opinion that using substances line Vaseline should be legalised going into the future. “There will be no use of saliva. Have to legalise using Vaseline to get the balance between bat and ball,” Dasgupta was quoted as saying during the chat. The pandemic situation has given the cricket boards a massive heads-up, especially after a number of tournaments being cancelled.

In the meantime, amidst the current situation, there have been talks of holding cricketing events behind closed doors. The participation of foreign cricketers has also come under the clouds. Dasgupta, who played for India from October 2001 to April 2002, said that one would have to do without crowds in the next one year or so.

He also said that bilateral series should also be limited to only one or two venues. “There might not be crowds for next one to one and half years. Travelling for teams will be limited, bilateral series will be conducted in one or venues,” he added.

In India, cricket has been deeply affected. The Indian Premier League (IPL) was scheduled to get underway on March 29, but it was postponed to April 15. However, after the lockdown was extended to May 3, the IPL had to be postponed indefinitely.

For the time being, there are chances of the entire tournament getting cancelled. In that scenario, the BCCI and the personnel associated with the event is expected to incur massive losses. India’s bilateral ODI series against South Africa in March was also shelved.