Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that the individuality of ODI cricket has been lost amid the enduring value of Test cricket and the growing dominance of T20 cricket. He has also expressed concern over how individual stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma attract people to ODI tournaments, which people might not otherwise watch.
T20 cricket has gained special importance across the world in recent times. Ravichandran Ashwin has also noted this and said that the immense growth due to the global fan base of T20 cricket and the importance of Test cricket is reducing the space for the 50-over tournament.
ODI cricket is losing its prominence – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin put himself in the audience’s seat 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.
“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 the SMAT, I am finding it a bit difficult to follow,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel, Aish Ki Baat.
He stressed the audience’s preference towards watching more T20s while giving some space to Tests, but there is no space for ODI cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin said bluntly, “I think it is going towards a slow death.”
Ashwin highlights the importance of big names like Rohit and Virat in making the game relevant
Ashwin highlighted the importance of big names in every format of the game. He has proved 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 got their due spotlight.
“Look, Rohit and Virat came back in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and people started seeing it. We know the game is always bigger than individuals, but sometimes these players need to come back to make the game relevant,” he said.
However, on the other hand, Ashwin talks about the changing nature of the one-day format. He claimed that this format, which earlier gave some time to the batsmen to settle down, has now evolved.
“Once upon a time, ODI cricket was a wonderful format because it gave a player like MS Dhoni, who used to take singles for 10-15 overs before going crazy at the end,” he said.
According to Ashwin, that style has almost disappeared. “Now you don’t have such players and there is no need to play like this because you are playing with two new balls and five fielders inside the circle,” he said.
Ravichandran Ashwin urges ICC to rethink its approach towards ODI cricket and compares it to the FIFA World Cup
The former Indian spin legend has pointed out that the ICC needs to rethink its approach to the format as well as acknowledge the importance of revenue.
“The ODI format has become redundant and most of all, the ICC needs to look at how they are organizing these World Cups. Every year, there is an ICC tournament for the revenue generation pattern, but then look at how FIFA is doing it,” he said.
He further said that too many international fixtures have acted as a redundancies in cricket; Therefore, Ravichandran Ashwin suggested a football-like structure, where teams and players are engaged in franchise leagues, and the anticipation of the World Cup builds around a gap of four years between two such tournaments.
“If you really want to make ODI cricket relevant, then just play these leagues and play the ODI World Cup once in four years, so that when people come to the events, there is a sense of expectation,” he said.
Also read: “Why can’t we arrange this?” – Former Indian star raised questions to BCCI on ODI future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
