The last couple of weeks has seen the issue of ball tampering being very much in the news. India’s Test captain Virat Kohli and South Africa’s stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis were at the centre of the controversy as both were accused of shining the ball with mint to get alter the condition of the ball.

However, Dr Rabindra Mehta, a US-based Indian scientist and a sports aerodynamics consultant, confirmed applying any sweet substance on the ball does not make a difference in how the ball behaves.

As quoted in the Deccan Chronicle, the scientist said:“The issue of using mints/sweets to enhance the saliva is certainly not new.A few years ago, we heard that the English players were using a special sweet, supposedly for the same reasons.”

“The thought or hypothesis is that by adding sugar to the natural saliva, one ends up with a better lubricant which will enhance the process of shining the ball. As is well known now, the goal for the fielding team is to try and produce a ball with one side smooth and shiny and the other as rough as possible.This helps in achieving reverse and contrast swing, while still enabling conventional swing. The association of ball tampering with roughening the ball is now well established,” he added.

However, Rabindra also admitted while applying artificial substances does not make a difference, players should not practice it since the rules of the game do not allow it.

“The new issue is whether sucking mints or sweets give the fielding side an advantage. Of course, the rules state that only natural substances (saliva or sweat) can be legally used to shine the ball,” he concluded.