IPL 2020: Virat Kohli nearly applies saliva on ball, Sachin Tendulkar reacts

IPL 2020: The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli on Monday evening nearly applied saliva on the ball by accident during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 match against Delhi Capitals in Dubai. It was the third ball of the third over, when Delhi opener Prithvi Shaw played a cover drive straight to the RCB captain. After fielding the ball, Kohli nearly applied saliva on the ball, which would have been a violation of the ICC’s COVID-19 protocol.  

However, the Indian skipper was quick to realise his mistake, and immediately raised his hands to acknowledge the slip-up. The act caught a lot of eyeballs, including those of former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. 

The legendary batsman took to Twitter to applaud Shaw’s tremendous drive, and Kohli’s fielding, while he also said that Kohli’s actions were just out of instincts. 

“What an incredible shot by @PrithviShaw there! A million dollar reaction by @imVkohli after almost applying saliva on the ball. Sometimes instincts take over!” Tendulkar tweeted. 

Last week, Rajasthan Royals batsman Robin Uthappa was seen applying saliva on the ball while fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders. The International Cricket Council had banned the use of saliva to shine the ball due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June this year. 

“If a player does apply saliva to the ball, the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning,” the ICC had stated in its Standard Operating Procedure. 

“A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side. Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommences,” the ICC notification read.