Ashwin questions ODI cricket’s survival beyond 2027 World Cup

Ravichandran Ashwin has raised doubts about the survival of ODI cricket beyond the 2027 World Cup, citing the rise of T20 leagues and ICC’s frequent tournaments. He suggested limiting ODIs to the World Cup every four years to keep relevance

Chennai: Skeptical about the future of ODIs after the 2027 World Cup, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin says the format has lost ground to mushrooming T20 leagues and an “overkill” of cricket caused by ICC’s push for a marquee event every year.

Ashwin believes ODIs have become almost redundant due to the rise of T20 leagues and the pride of place that Test cricket continues to enjoy.

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“I am not sure about the future of ODIs after the 2027 World Cup. I am a little worried about it. Of course, I am following Vijay Hazare Trophy but the manner in which I followed SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy), I am finding it slightly difficult to follow (Vijay Hazare),” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.

“Also, we need to know what audience wants to watch. I feel Test cricket still has space but ODI cricket, I truly feel, doesn’t have the space,” he added.

India’s second-highest wicket-taker across formats with 765 scalps, Ashwin said for a game to connect with fans, stars are needed. He cited the strong crowd turnout for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s recent Vijay Hazare appearances to drive home the point.

“Look, Rohit and Virat came back to Vijay Hazare Trophy and people started watching it. We have known that sport is always bigger than individuals but at times these players (Rohit and Kohli) need to come back to make the game relevant,” he observed.

Ashwin spoke about how ODI cricket was once an “amazing format” that produced a player like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who knew how to control the innings as required by the game then.

“…Dhoni would take singles for 10–15 overs before he went berserk at the end. You don’t have players like that anymore… 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, asserting that modern ODIs are either a run-fest or a collapse if the wicket is slightly difficult.

Ashwin urged the ICC to reconsider its scheduling and not be completely driven by commerce. He said revenue generation is the primary reason for an ICC event almost every year now.

“The ODI format has become redundant and to top it, ICC needs to see how they are conducting these World Cups. Every year, there is an ICC tournament for revenue generation, but look at how FIFA is doing it. There are leagues happening and they do their World Cup once in every four years. The World Cup has value as it’s a marquee tournament,” he pointed out.

“But in cricket, too many bilaterals, too many formats, too many World Cups, so it’s a little bit of an overkill,” he said.

While many like Sachin Tendulkar have suggested a split-innings format for one-dayers to revive them, Ashwin said that having just one 50-over event — the World Cup every four years — could also be a possible option.

“If you really want to make ODI cricket relevant, then just play these T20 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. Otherwise, I feel ODI cricket is going towards slow death.”