‘Don’t think many changes will happen’ – Gautam Gambhir on the alterations cricket may undergo after coronavirus pandemic

Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that the coronavirus pandemic won’t be inducing many changes to cricket going forward. However, the veteran from Delhi believes that there can be an alternative for saliva while shining the leather. Since the COVID-19 has turned out to be contagious, saliva and sweat are being thought about as a probable medium to spread the virus.

Australia recently put forth its decision to ban the usage of saliva after the federal government released guidelines for the return of sports in the current scenario. Recently, Deep Dasgupta, another retired Indian batsman, said that Vaseline can be one of the alternatives.

Players and everyone else need to live with this virus: Gautam Gambhir

“I don’t think a lot of rules and regulations will be changed, you can probably have an alternate for the usage of saliva apart from that I don’t think so many changes will happen,”  Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected.

In India, the coronavirus cases have reached nearly 63,000 with over 2,100 people losing their lives. Maharashtra has been the most affected state in the grave situation. India is currently in a lockdown phase until May 3 and there’s no clarity on how things will pan out in the future.

Gambhir, who hung his boots from cricket back in December 2018, said that there’s no running away from the virus. Rather, he said that the people need to get used to it as he reckons that in most sports, it’s tough to maintain social distancing.

“Players and everyone else need to live with this virus; probably they have to get used to it that there is a virus and that it will be around. Players might end up catching it, and you got to live with it,” he stated.

“Social distancing and other rules may not be easy for any sport to maintain. You can still manage to do it with cricket, but how will you do it in football, hockey and other sports as well. So, I think you just have to live with it, probably the sooner you accept it, the better it is,” he added.