Saliva ban won’t affect T20 and ODIs so much: Dinesh Karthik

There have been reports of some India cricketers easing into nets but Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper and wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik isn’t one of them.

“Like most of us, I have got into a schedule which is: waking up, training, eating, watching TV and sleeping,” said Karthik during a Zoom call on Thursday.

Training for Karthik has been running - “not so much” - but more of working out in the gymnasium for an hour-and-a-half daily, he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has paused sport. For some athletes that helped heal bodies left worse for the wear by the constant grind of competition and travel. “I am not killing my body in training and absorbing the pressure of competition so, maybe, that will help extend my career,” Saurav Ghosal, India’s highest ranked squash player told this paper in April.

Ghosal will be 34 in August; his brother-in-law Karthik turned 35 on June 1. Asked if he felt being spared the rigours of an Indian Premier League (IPL) season could prolong his career, Karthik, who has used the lockdown to grow a full beard, said: “I would take the rigours of an IPL any day. I think anybody would do that. Also, rigours is a strong word, I think. Along with the challenges and the pressures of an IPL also comes the happiness of being part of it.”

Karthik said the pandemic-induced call to stop applying saliva to polish a cricket ball won’t affect T20 and ODIs much. “But definitely, it will have an effect in Test cricket. It will be a massive challenge to swing a ball after the first 20-30 overs,” he said.

Also part of the digital media conference, KKR CEO Venky Mysore said if the IPL has to be held in 2020 it has to be in its full format. “A combination of things has made it a marquee product. To the Indian players in our team add Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan. That makes for an excellent line-up. We shouldn’t tinker with the quality of the product. I think that is the view of the majority of franchises,” he said.

Prior to the interaction, where state sport minister Aroop Biswas was also present, KKR set off the ‘Sahayata Vahan’, a van with food bags and essential supplies - including chlorine tablets and soap - that will go to areas affected by Cyclone Amphan. West Bengal has been the hardest hit by the cyclone with 118 deaths and widespread destruction.

KKR have also pledged to plant 5000 trees in Kolkata whose tree cover was severely depleted by the cyclone on May 20. And plant a tree for every six hit during the IPL. “We have Andre Russell with us so that shouldn’t be a problem,” said Karthik.

If IPL is held this season and KKR can add to their two titles, Karthik said they would dedicate the triumph to the city which is dealing with the after-effects of a cyclone and Covid-19. “That is the least we can do. Kolkata is a city we are emotionally attached to,” he said.