Won’t be many rule changes in cricket post COVID-19, feels Gambhir

New Delhi: Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir feels there won’t be many rule changes in cricket matches in post COVID-19 world, except the ban on using saliva on the ball.

Gambhir’s comments have come at a time when the ICC is reportedly thinking out to ban the use of saliva on the ball to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus among the cricketers.

The ICC is even considering legalisation of the usage of artificial substances to shine the ball instead of saliva.

“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 said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

“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 added.

The former India opener also mentioned that social distancing may be easier in cricket to a certain extent, however other sports will find it tougher to do so.

“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,” Gambhir said. (UNI)