Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has called for the ODI World Cup games at home later this year to begin earlier in the day so that the effect of dew factor can be minimized.
Over the years, dew has affected matches in the subcontinent, giving the chasing teams an unfair edge. It is such a massive factor that the captain winning the toss almost always opts to bowl first.
“My suggestion – or rather my opinion – for the World Cup is to look at what venues we are playing in, and at what times. Why shouldn’t we start matches at 11.30am during the World Cup?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
In India, day-night ODI fixtures get underway at 1:30pm and go up to the primetime.
According to Ashwin, the difference between the quality of teams is not noticeable due to the dew. He cited the example of the recently held first ODI between India and Sri Lanka to vindicate his point.
Batting first, India piled up 373/7 while Sri Lanka had managed 306/8. However, Ashwin believes the victory margin was not reflective of the home team’s dominance in the match.
“India batted beautifully on a slow wicket and posted a score well above par. Still they ended up having to fight tooth and nail,” he said.
“The quality difference between the teams isn’t coming through – dew is narrowing that gap if you happen to lose the toss.”
Although drew plays a huge role in the outcome of day-night games in India, the match timings have never been tweaked to suit television viewership in the Indian sub-continent.
“People will bring up television viewers and broadcasters, and say that people won’t latch on and watch at that time, but would they not latch on to World Cup matches?”
“The recent T20 World Cup was also held in winter, prioritising the summer (for Australia’s home bilateral season),” Ashwin said.
“It wasn’t the ideal scenario – T20 is a fast-paced game, how can you play it in winter? People will say that’s not the case in Australia, but still, we need to prioritise World Cups.”
The 50-over World Cup is slated to be held in India in October-November and dew would certainly come into the picture.
“The ICC knows very well that there will be dew, so let’s advance the game, and if we start at 11.30am, the dew factor won’t come into the game, and why not? Won’t all cricket fans prioritise the World Cup and watch matches at 11.30?” Ashwin remarked.
“ECB recently invited applications for the analyst’s position, and – I came to know this through some analysts I know – one of the important questions they asked was, ‘How big a factor is dew in Indian conditions in white-ball cricket?’
“They’re looking to bring in the best analytical tools possible ahead of the 2023 World Cup, and they’ve asked all the pertinent questions, so you can see how crucial everyone in world cricket thinks the dew factor is in Indian conditions,” he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)
