Former Indian cricket legend Ravichandran Ashwin has raised a major question about the future of ODI cricket. He said that this format might be in trouble after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire.
Why is Ashwin’s concern justified?
Ashwin spoke candidly on his YouTube channel. “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 the SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy), I am finding it slightly difficult to follow,” he said.
The return of Kohli and Rohit to the Vijay Hazare Trophy created a lot of buzz, and people started watching the matches. But Ashwin believes that with the increasing dominance of T20 leagues and the established place of Test cricket, the space for ODIs is shrinking.
“Also, we need to know what the audience wants to watch. I feel Test cricket still has a space, but ODI cricket, I truly feel it doesn’t have the space,” Ashwin stated clearly.
Kohli and Rohit have 86 centuries between them in ODIs; these two stars are currently keeping the format alive.
“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 need to come back to make the game relevant,” he explained.
The changing face of ODIs and ICC’s mistakes
Earlier, ODIs offered the enjoyment of gradually building an innings, as MS Dhoni used to do. “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,” Ashwin recalled.
Now, everything has changed due to the influence of T20s. With two new balls and fielders inside the circle, it’s either all-out attack or the team collapses on a difficult pitch. “You don’t have players like that 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,”
he explained. Ashwin also took aim at the ICC. He believes that holding tournaments every year is diminishing their value. “The ODI format has become redundant, and to top it all, the ICC needs to look at how they are conducting these World Cups. Every year, there’s an ICC tournament for revenue generation, but then look at how FIFA does it,” he said.
He suggested that a major World Cup every four years, like in football, would build anticipation and excitement. “There are leagues happening, and they hold their World Cup once every four years. The World Cup has value because it’s a marquee tournament. Too many bilaterals, too many formats, too many World Cups – it’s a bit of an overkill,” Ashwin added.
He suggested that to save ODIs, they should only play leagues and hold the World Cup every four years. “If you really want to make ODI cricket relevant, then just play these leagues and play the ODI World Cup once every four years, so when people turn up for the events, there will be a sense of expectation,” he suggested.
Ashwin’s final point was quite serious. “I feel it is heading towards a slow death.” ODI cricket currently relies on its star players, but the future looks challenging. The ICC needs to act quickly, otherwise, this format could gradually disappear.
