Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has supported the ICC’s decision to allocate 38.5 percent of its total revenue to India for the 2024-27 cycle, arguing that it is totally justified due to India’s significant contribution to global cricket revenue.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will receive approximately Rs. 1,968 crore annually, far exceeding England and Australia’s shares of 6.89 percent and 6.25 percent, respectively.

The revenue distribution model, announced in 2023, has triggered debate in the cricket world, with some boards raising concerns about the uneven allocation. The remaining 12 percent of the revenue is distributed among nine other cricket-playing nations.

According to Shastri, the revenue share should be proportional to the income generated. He also pointed out how TV rights shoot up during an India series and hence it’s only fair that they get a major chunk of the earnings.

"I would want more for India because most of the money that's generated comes from India. So it's only fair that they get their share of pound of flesh. It's relative, it's economies, if tomorrow there might be another economy that's stronger. Money might come from there like it did in the 70s, 80s and the chunk of the money went to, went somewhere else. So I think it's only fair and, it just shows in the revenues when India travel, look at the television rights, look at the television income that comes for an India series. So it's only fair that they get. Whatever they're getting now, if not more," Shastri stated in an interview with Wisden.

The distribution model has faced backlash from other cricket boards, especially those outside the Big Three - India, England, and Australia. These boards argue that the current model could hamper cricket's growth in other nations.

In particular, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been vocal against the revenue distribution model, demanding more transparency in how the allocation figures were determined.

"We are insisting that the ICC should tell us how these figures were arrived at. We are not happy with the situation as it stands. Come June, when the board is expected to approve the financial model, unless these details are provided to us, we are not going to approve it," former PCB chief Najam Sethi had told Reuters.