Team India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun is circumspect about the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s decision to ban the use of saliva on the ball and allow only sweat, but prefers to wait and find out how it will impact bowlers and their craft.

“We don’t really know the implications since all these years we have been using saliva. We do not know how that ball is going to behave. By only using sweat we don’t know how much it would shine and things like that,” Arun told The Telegraph on Saturday.

“It all depends on how much shine is there on the ball and the condition of the wicket. If the wicket and the outfield is a little abrasive, the wear and tear on the ball will be a little more, making it even more difficult to maintain the shine. There are a lot of variables in this and we are only presuming things. We will have to wait and see what impact it would have and how the ball would behave.

“It’s definitely a challenge. We will have to explore different ways, see how much sweat to use... Using too little or too much may have a different kind of an impact. All that will be visible when we regroup and start practising,” said the 57-year-old former India pacer.

Arun doesn’t wish to speculate on whether the move would hamper reverse swing, one of the significant aspects behind the fast bowling unit’s success last season. “Using saliva is something the bowlers have been used to for a long time. Now when the players assemble, we have to really work on not using saliva.

“It would be something that would be difficult to monitor but when it’s a rule there’s nothing much you can do about it. It applies for both the teams and we have to abide by it,” he said.

The ICC on Friday set workload guidelines for bowlers to resume cricket (ranging from six to 12 weeks) but Arun says the team management had already chalked out their course of action.

“The players are doing their physical training right now. Only field running isn’t possible. We also have a 6-8 week phase when we are going to work with the players once the lockdown is over. We are making sure that they have enough time for progression — match simulation to domestic cricket and then international cricket,” he said.

The bowling coach stressed on the need for “solid match practice” before getting back to the grind of international cricket.

“Only real competition can tighten your skills. I’m sure the BCCI will organise some tournament for the players, say something like the Challenger series. Anything can be organised if we want to prepare our players. The onus lies with the BCCI,” he said.

Arun knows the lockdown has been tough on the players but the coach has been focusing on the positives.

“This was also an opportunity for every international cricketer to work on their fitness. One way of getting to your mind is through your body. If you are putting in that much of work, that itself will need enormous mental strength during the lockdown. The coaches have been in touch with the players to ensure they stay motivated.

“It’s tough on them but therein also lies an opportunity. Isn’t it? I always remind the players about Muhammad Ali’s words: ‘I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘don’t quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’.”