In recent times, T20 cricket has acquired special importance across the world. Ravichandran Ashwin has noted the same and feels that the outsized rise of T20 cricket due to the global fan base and value of Test cricket is narrowing the scope for tournaments of more than 50.
ODI Cricket Loses Its Prominence: Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin put himself in the audience and claimed that he is worried about the future of the ODI format with the retirement of senior cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
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“I am not sure about the future of ODI after the 2027 World Cup. I am a bit worried about it. Of course, I am following the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but the way I followed SMAT, I find it somewhat difficult to follow,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.
He highlighted the public’s preference to watch more T20s, besides giving some space to Tests, but no space for ODI cricket. “I feel like it’s going towards a slow death,” Ravichandran Ashwin said bluntly.
Ashwin highlighted the significance of big names like Rohit and Virat in making the game relevant
Ashwin emphasized the importance of big names in every format of the game. He has proven how Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy has grabbed people’s attention and as a result, many other young cricketers have also gotten the deserved limelight.
“Look, Rohit and Virat came back to the Vijay Hazare Trophy and people started watching it. We know that sports are always bigger than individuals, but sometimes these players have to come back to make the game relevant,” he noted.
On the other hand, however, Ashwin talks about the changing nature of the one-day format. He claimed that the format, which used to give batters some time to settle down, has now evolved.
“One-day cricket was once a great format because it gave a player like MS Dhoni the opportunity to play singles for 10 to 15 overs before going crazy at the end,” he said.
According to Ashwin, that style has almost disappeared. “You don’t have players like that anymore, and there is no requirement to play like that because you play with two new balls and five fielders in the circle,” he said.
Ravichandran Ashwin urges the ICC to reconsider its approach to ODI cricket and compare it to the FIFA World Cup
The former veteran Indian spinner has pointed out that the ICC needs to rethink its approach to the format while recognizing the importance of revenue.
“The ODI format has become obsolete and to top it all, the ICC needs to see how they organize these World Cups. Every year there is an ICC tournament for revenue generation, but then look at how FIFA does it,” he said.
He further believes that too many international matches have acted as overkill in cricket; That’s why Ravichandran Ashwin proposed a structure like football, where teams and players are busy in franchise leagues, and anticipation for a World Cup builds around the four-year gap between two such tournaments.
“If you really want to make ODI cricket relevant, just play in these competitions and play the ODI World Cup once every four years, so when people come to events there will be a sense of anticipation,” he said.
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