50 Overs Cricket Has Its Challenge: Rohit Sharma Advocates For ODI Format In Modern Era

In a conversation on the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast with former Australian World Cup-winning skipper Michael Clarke, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma openly advocated for the sustenance of 50-over cricket as a format. 

India recently won the Champions Trophy in Dubai undefeated, and Rohit acknowledged how challenging it was for him and his team to keep up the intensity throughout each and every game. He felt that no other format offered a challenge like the ODIs, and despite the rising popularity of T20 cricket because of its fast nature, the ODIs still had a lot to teach and contribute to modern cricket. 

“I know there has been lot of talk about one-day cricket being questioned whether it is a sustainable format or not,” the Indian skipper said.

“Look, we have all grown up watching the 50-over World Cup. ICC Champions Trophy, when we played those games. Those were high-intensity games. I know it feels very longer, because people are watching T20 cricket. But, 50-over cricket has its own challenge.”

Rohit scored 180 runs in the Champions Trophy triumph for India, including a player of the match-winning knock in the final, where he scored 76 off 83 deliveries against New Zealand. In ODIs, he has made 273 appearances for India and has scored 11,138 runs so far. 

However, he is having a poor outing in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), where he has scored just 56 runs at an average of 11.20 in five games.