I forgot that I can use saliva, but will use it from now on: RCB's Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bengaluru, Apr 17 (PTI): Fast bowlers often have elephantine memory but Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar rather sheepishly conceded that he has forgotten to use saliva to shine the ball despite the redrafted rules, and promised to make amends in the IPL match against Punjab Kings here on Friday.
In the run-up to this season’s IPL, the BCCI had lifted the ban on using saliva as a ball polishing agent after several captains favoured the move.
The saliva ban was enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic days as a precautionary measure.
Now, several skippers and quick bowlers have felt that it will revive the forgotten art of reverse swing, but Bhuvneshwar offered a different perspective.
“I forgot that I can use saliva. Yesterday when the (team) staff told me, I didn't know that I have to use it,” a sheepish Bhuvneshwar said on the eve of the match against Punjab Kings.
But now, there is a late realisation and he is open to experimentation.
“I am not sure if it will help or not, but now that I remember, definitely in tomorrow's match (vs PBKS) I will put some saliva and see if it helps or not," he said with a chuckle.
However, some of his contemporaries have eagerly latched on to the opportunity to purchase some reverse swing to keep the batters guessing.
Mitchell Starc of Delhi Capitals found a hint of reverse swing against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday while homing in on the stumps with a series of yorkers in the 20th over and later in the Super Over.
Starc’s remarkable accuracy and the touch of reverse swing played a big role in DC eking out a Super Over win at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in the national capital.
“Reverse swing had completely gone away from cricket, whether it was red ball or white ball. Suddenly, if someone can execute 11 yorkers in 12 balls at a 145 (kmph) pace, then you have to give Starc the credit,” said RR’s Nitish Rana, who fell leg before to the Australian fast bowler.
Delhi’s skipper Axar Patel also offered some insight.
“Getting reverse swing is one thing, but executing it is very important. It was reversing, but at that time, under pressure, he (Starc) was executing it,” Patel said.
“I was just reminding him to be clear about the plans we made in the bowlers meeting. I was getting the same response: ‘Don’t worry, skip. I’ll do it',” he added.
rhaps, it’s time for Bhuvneshwar to do it as well.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
