Virus could polish off ball shining: Tendulkar

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar believes shining the ball may become a thing of the past when cricket resumes after the coronavirus outbreak.

Cricketers use the age-old method of shining one side of the cricket ball with a combination of saliva and sweat, ostensibly to help bowlers generate more swing in the air.

But with increased focus on social distancing and personal hygiene to contain the spread of the virus, the sport stares at a changing landscape.

"Shining the ball will change, I think," Tendulkar told Reuters.

"Everyone will be conscious of maintaining social distancing, giving high-fives to each other and hugging after celebrating the fall of a wicket.

"I don't think those things are going to happen. It may happen instinctively but consciously players would want to make sure that they follow certain norms.

"During this period personal hygiene has been at the forefront."

Cricket, like all other sport, has come to a grinding halt as countries closed borders and enforced lockdowns to fight the virus that has infected more than 2.66 million people globally and killed more than 186,000.

Australia, South Africa and England have been among many who have been forced to postpone cricket tours to other countries while the cash-rich Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament has been indefinitely suspended.

With several bilateral series being wiped out, the new World Test Championship (WTC) is in doubt with its final between the top two sides scheduled in June next year at Lord's.

The nine top-ranked sides are scheduled play three series each at home and away to determine the finalists and Tendulkar feels everyone should get a fair chance.

"I would like to believe that some tours are getting postponed rather than being called off," he said.

"The whole world has come to a standstill, it applies to all cricket playing nations. The whole calendar can be moved forward a little bit without altering too many things.

"I know the timings of the cricket seasons are different in different continents and that needs a closer look at."

Australia is scheduled to host the Twenty20 World Cup starting from October but Tendulkar feels it will be impossible to predict the fate of the tournament at this stage.

"It's not just about Australia, it's also about making sure that the rest of the teams are also feeling safe enough to travel there," he said.