Kolkata, July 6: While admitting that saliva is an issue when it comes to the spread of COVID-19, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Monday said he is hopeful once the vaccine is out everything will be fine by the end of the year. Saliva ban on match ball has been one of the most talked-about regulations that has been imposed by the ICC looking at the virus threat.

England will take on West Indies in the much-anticipated first Test at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday in a three-Test series which marks the resumption of the sport since it was halted due to the health crisis. Sourav Ganguly Compares Coronavirus Pandemic to Test Match on ‘Dangerous Wicket’, Says ‘There Is Very Little Margin for Error but We Hope That We Will Win This Match Together’.

"Life will be normal once the COVID-19 vaccine is out. You will have to be a little more careful. Saliva is an issue and that is why you wear a mask," Ganguly told India Test opener Mayank Agarwal in an interview shared by BCCI on their Twitter page, with hashtag #DadaOpensWithMayank.

"Next 2, 3, 4 months will be tough. Hopefully by the end of the year all should be fine," added the former India captain. Earlier, Ganguly revealed how cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar used to always stay at the non-striker's end when the first ball was bowled in a match.

Ganguly and Tendulkar formed one of the most potent opening combinations in the world and till date they hold the record for most number of runs scored at the top of the order. Between 1996 to 2007, the duo scored 6,609 runs in 136 innings, including 21 century stands and 23 fifty partnerships in the 50-over format of the game.

India's current Test opener Mayank Agarwal recently asked Ganguly about the supposed myth that Tendulkar always forced the southpaw to take strike on the first delivery and the current BCCI President revealed that it was indeed the case.

"Did Sachin paaji force you to take the strike when you opened the batting in ODIs?," Agarwal asked Ganguly while speaking on the series 'Open Nets with Mayank' hosted by bcci.tv. "Always, he did...he had an answer to that. I used to tell him ‘sometimes you should also face the first ball. I always face the first ball'. He had two answers for that," Ganguly said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 06, 2020 09:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).