Indian bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, has begun training in earnest by bowling four hours daily, as he strives hard to curb the instinct of applying saliva on the ball.

Most bowlers are known to be using saliva on the ball each time they want to bowl. But the ICC had banned the habit which many cricketers have said will be hard to adapt to. The Anil-Kumble led ICC had to ban it to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

After the lockdown was restricted, the India cricket governing body, BCCI has urged players to start their skill training at the local level. As a result, Kuldeep has been training under his childhood coach Kapil Pandey.

As he battles to overcome the saliva habit, the left-arm wrist-spinner is sweating it out at the local Rovers ground, where his cricket journey began.

Speaking during an interaction, Kuldeep said he has been doing two sessions per day, which occurs from 7:30 to 9 am when he does physical training. He then returns to the training ground from home in the evening and bowl from 4 pm to 8 pm.

Kuldeep, who has begun outdoor training over a week now, said during the lockdown, he was at home maintaining social distancing norms. Therefore, he believed that within the next few weeks, he would be ready for competitive cricket when actions start.

Kuldeep, who has 6 Tests, 60 ODIs, and 21 T20 in his record for India, said his biggest concern is controlling the habit of saliva usage, which he has been conditioned to follow.

The 25-year-old, who pointed out that it is a habit he had inculcated from childhood, said it applied on the ball to keep the shine. With new ICC rules in place, the bowler is now trying to get rid of the habit.

For the habit to be gotten rid of, he suggested that it should be imbibed in training sessions first.

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed