Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes the One-Day International format will struggle to survive and remain relevant after the 2027 World Cup once bona fide greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opt to retire.
While Kohli and Rohit's participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy has generated a lot of interest, Ashwin believes that with the expansion of T20 leagues and Test cricket now having its own currency, the room for the 50-over format is rapidly dwindling.
"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 it slightly difficult to follow. Also, we need to know what the audience wants to watch. I feel Test cricket still has space, but ODI cricket, I truly feel, doesn't have the space," Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel, 'Ash Ki Baat.'
Ashwin, who retired with 756 wickets in international cricket, expressed concern for ODI formats after Kohli and Rohit, with a combined total of 86 ODI tons, walked away.
"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 (Ro-Ko) need to come back to make the game relevant.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy (national one-dayers), of course, is a domestic competition that not a lot of people follow, but they did (so now) because Virat and Rohit were playing. Even then, what happens when they stop playing ODIs?" he added.
Ashwin described 50-over cricket as an "amazing format" that produced players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who knew how to control innings.
"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. You don't have players like that (Dhoni) 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," said Ashwin.
He stated that modern ODIs are played in two gears: either batters playing in total T20 mode or on a slightly difficult wicket, which meant teams got out for paltry scores.
Ashwin also encouraged the ICC to reconsider its cricketing calendar, acknowledging that revenue generation is critical to the ODI game's global health.
"The ODI format has become redundant, and to top it off, 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. There are leagues (EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga) happening, and they do their World Cup once every four years. The World Cup has value, as it’s a marquee tournament. Too many bilaterals, too many formats, too many World Cups, so it's a little bit of an overkill," he added.
While many, including the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, have supported a split-innings format for one-dayers, Ashwin believes that only one 50-overs event, the World Cup, should be held every four years.
While many, including the great Sachin Tendulkar, have proposed a split-innings format for one-dayers, Ashwin believes that the World Cup should be the only 50-over competition held every four years.
"If you really want to make ODI cricket relevant, then just play these (T20s) 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. I feel it is going towards slow death,” Ashwin concluded.
(PTI inputs)
