Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opined that the individuality of ODI cricket is lost somewhere between Test cricket’s enduring value and the rising dominance of T20 cricket. He has also shown concern over how individual stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma draw people towards the ODI tournaments, which people do not witness otherwise.
In recent times, T20 cricket around the globe has earned special importance. Ravichandran Ashwin has also noted the same and has opined that the excessive rise of T20 cricket due to its global fanbase and the value of Test cricket is squeezing space for 50-over tournaments.
ODI Cricket is losing its prominence—Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin placed himself in the audience seat and claimed that he is concerned 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 little worried about it. Of course, I am following the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but the manner in which I followed SMAT, I am finding slightly difficult to follow,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.
He stressed the audience’s preference towards watching more of T20s, alongside giving some space to Tests, but no space for ODI cricket. “I feel it is going towards slow death,” said Ravichandran Ashwin bluntly.
Ashwin highlighted the significance 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 drawn the attention of people, and as a result, many other young cricketers have also gotten the deserved spotlight.
“Look, Rohit and Virat came back to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and people started watching it. We have known that sport is always bigger than individuals, but at times these players need to come back to make the game relevant,” he observed.
However, on the other hand, Ashwin talks about the changing nature of the one-day format. He claimed the format, which previously gave batters some time to settle down, has now evolved.
“One-day cricket, once upon a time, was an amazing format because it gave a player like MS Dhoni, who would take singles for 10-15 overs before he went berserk at the end,” he said.
According to Ashwin, that style has all but disappeared. “You don’t have players like that anymore, and there isn’t any requirement to play like that, as you are playing with two new balls and five fielders inside the circle,” he said
Ravichandran Ashwin urges ICC to rethink its approach to ODI cricket, comparing it with the FIFA World Cup
The former Indian veteran spinner has pointed out that the ICC needs to rethink its approach for the format and acknowledge the importance of revenue simultaneously.
“The ODI format has become redundant, and to top it, the ICC needs to see how they are conducting these World Cups. Every year, there is an ICC tournament for revenue generation patterns, but then look at how FIFA is doing it,” he said.
He has further opined that too many international fixtures have acted like an overkill in cricket; hence, Ravichandran Ashwin suggested a structure like football, where teams and players are busy in franchise leagues, and the anticipation for a World Cup builds around the four-year gap 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 when people turn up for events, there will be a sense of expectation,” he said.
