Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli came close to applying saliva to the ball by accident during the 2020 Indian Premier League match against Delhi Capitals in Dubai on Monday. The incident took place on the third ball of the third round when DC starter Prithvi Shaw struck a covering shot against RCB closer Navdeep Saini.
Kohli, who was standing a short distance away, did not let the ball pass him, even though he was going at a very high speed. After fielding the ball, Kohli nearly applied saliva to the ball, which would have been a violation of the ICC’s COVID-19 protocol. However, Kohli quickly realized his mistake and immediately raised his hands to acknowledge the slip.
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Meanwhile, Indian hitting legend Sachin Tendulkar took to Twitter to applaud Shaw’s tremendous push and Kohli fielding, while also saying that Kohli’s actions were just instinctual.
“What an amazing take from @PrithviShaw there! A million dollar reaction from @imVkohli after almost spitting the ball. Sometimes instincts rule! “Tendulkar tweeted.
Last week, Rajasthan Royals hitter Robin Uthappa was seen spraying the ball while fielding against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The International Cricket Council had banned the use of saliva to make the ball shine due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June this year.
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“If a player applies saliva to the ball, the referees will handle the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but the subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning,” the ICC had stated in its Rule. . Operating procedure.
“A team can receive up to two warnings per inning, but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty for the hitting side. Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the referees will be instructed to clean the ball before play is resumed, ”the ICC notification read.
(With PTI inputs)
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