The return of saliva on the ball in the Indian Premier League is helping bowlers generate reverse swing, with Gujarat Titans' Mohammed Siraj among those reaping the benefits.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Siraj starred with figures of 4-17 in Gujarat's third straight victory in the T20 tournament when they thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The paceman beamed when asked if bowlers were enjoying the end of the saliva ban, saying, "100 percent".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"If the ball tails a bit, it is a wicket," Siraj said, after being named player of the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"When there is no saliva, the ball comes onto the bat easily. This rule makes it much better for the bowlers, with lbw and bowled now a chance (for the bowlers)."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The ban on saliva imposed during the Covid pandemic was lifted ahead of the 18th edition of the IPL last month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The use of saliva to shine one side of the old ball and keep the other rough helps fast bowlers get the leather ball to swing late.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was Siraj's second match-winning display after his 3-19 helped Gujarat down his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Siraj has claimed nine wickets from four matches to make a strong comeback after being omitted from the Champions Trophy squad for India.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Punjab Kings pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh got the ball to reverse in his team's opener last month as he claimed two key wickets in a win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Skipper Shreyas Iyer said left-arm quick Arshdeep "came in and said the ball is actually reversing a bit so the saliva on the ball is helping the bowlers".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The art of reverse swing was pioneered by former Pakistan fast bowlers Sarfraz Nawaz and Imran Khan to aid bowling on batting-friendly Asian pitches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The IPL barred the practice after it was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a precautionary measure during the pandemic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n