Former Indian cricketer and 2007 and 2011 World Cup winner, Gautam Gambhir took to his Twitter handle and urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a reassessment of three rules of ODI cricket.
Gautam Gambhir's comments came in wake of high scoring second ODI between India and England. Team India on account of Kl Rahul’s 108 and Rishabh Pant’s 77 runs posted a total of 335 runs.
Replying to India’s total of 335 runs, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes stitched together 175 runs partnership and gunned down the target inside 44 overs. A total of 673 runs were scored.
Talking to his Twitter handle, former Indian skipper Gautam Gambhir said that ICC needs to relook at field and bouncer restrictions, coupled with the allocation of 2 new balls in ODI cricket, otherwise it can reduce bowlers to 'programmed bowling machines'.
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"The rules of the game seem so lopsided in favour of batsmen that bowlers seem redundant, ‘also rans’. @ICC urgently needs to relook at the circle rule, two new balls and bouncer restrictions. Otherwise bowlers will be reduced to programmed bowling machines @bcci" Gautam Gambhir Tweeted.
The circle rule, which Gautam Gambhir pointed out was a reference to the fielding restrictions, divided into three Powerplays.
In the first powerplay from overs 1-10, only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. In the next 30 overs, i.e. – from 11-40, four fielders are allowed and in the last 10 overs, five fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
Gambhir next talked of the 'two new balls' law. In 2011 ICC had introduced the concept of two new balls being operated from two ends in ODI cricket.
Many pundits including batting great Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis, have slammed this law for diminishing the role of reverse swing in ODI cricket, and thus, further favoring the batters.
At last, the southpaw called for a relook at bouncer restrictions the ICC has set the maximum limit of bouncers to two per over in ODI cricket. This rule has also been criticized by many experts.
(Hindustan Times Inputs)
