Pacer Mohammed Siraj happy to apply reverse gear

India pacer Mohammed Siraj on Thursday wholeheartedly welcomed the BCCIrsquos decision to lift the saliva ban ahead of IPL 2025 saying it will help the bowlers find reverse swing even in unhelpful conditionsThe BCCI lifted the ban on use of saliva on the cricket ball for the upcoming Indian Premier League making it the first major competition to do away with the restriction that was a consequence of the COVID19 pandemicBowlers delightedldquoItrsquos excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing Itrsquos very good for bowlersrdquo Siraj who was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of last yearrsquos auction and will play under new skipper Shubman Gill for Gujarat Titans told PTIldquoIt saliva sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help to get reverse swing But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining the shine on one side and it is importantrdquo added SirajOn the sidelines of the ICC Champions Trophy senior India pacer Mohammed Shami had first spoken about the need to use saliva on the ball ldquoWe keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interestingrdquo Shami had said during the 50over event in Dubai where India emerged victorious He got support from many former players including R Ashwin Vernon Philander and Tim Southee among othersAshwin said that ICCrsquos ban call had stemmed from their research ldquoICC released some papers after research showed that saliva did not aid reverse swing much Not putting saliva has not made a huge difference I do not know how they did the research but saliva should be allowed again if it is not a problem Otherwise cricketers have to get on with itrdquo he had said on his YouTube channel Ash ki BaatBan due to COVID19Former New Zealand pacer Southee felt bowlers deserved a bit of an advantage ldquoThat saliva ban was a rule brought during COVID19 with the virus going around the world but as a bowler you want to have a slight advantage We are seeing sides score 360 and more often than not over 300 in ODIs There needs to be something in the bowlersrsquo favour and if thatrsquos a little bit of saliva I donrsquot see why they couldnrsquot afford to get that back inrdquo Southee had told ESPNCricinfoFormer South Africa allrounder Philander said saliva was most needed for the ODI format ldquoIrsquod like to see it saliva back because itrsquos needed especially in ODI cricket where we see batters really dominatingrdquo Philander had saidHow saliva aids reverse swingA cricket ball moves laterally if different air pressure is applied If the seam of a new ball is kept upright it doesnrsquot swing But if a bowler holds the ball with the seam pointing to the left or right then given the science of aerodynamics the ball swings in that direction As the ball gets older saliva is used to maintain its shine on one side while the other side is kept rough due to its wear and tear Reverse swing occurs when the ball moves due to a change in air pressure towards the shiny side where saliva has been applied