Follow UsRavichandran Ashwin has yet again given a fiery statement, claiming that the ICC introduced the two new balls rule along with keeping five fielders in the circle during the middle overs in ODIs to curb India’s spin domination in the middle overs.
“Until 2013-14, ODI cricket was played with one ball. Before 2015, the new rule was implemented where five fielders were allowed in the circle and two balls were introduced. I think in many ways that rule was to nullify India’s spin domination. That is just my take,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel “Ash Ki Baat.”
“I think that is impacting the game massively. It's because reverse swing is gone from the game now. Role of finger spin was also reduced.”
Ashwin also requested the ICC to intervene and find more context in ODI games, as the format is becoming too mundane to follow if there are no close games. He questioned if the format was appropriate for the modern pace of the game.
“Before this Afghanistan versus England match, I was wondering whether there is any future for ODI cricket,” Ashwin remarked.
“Let’s be very honest with it. In T20Is, there is so much crowd, and consumption is high because it ends inside four hours. I feel Test cricket will excel more once the first-class structure of teams like Afghanistan will improve. But in ODI there is no contest.”
He felt that the game has gone too slow in the middle overs and needs new interventions, like ODIs being played with the red ball (which was used earlier), to keep the format's character intact and attract new audiences.
“The 50 over World Cup (2027) in South Africa is going to be a real challenge for the ICC. It is at the brink of a decision being mad,” Ashwin said.
"Because the game is going so slow. It’s meandering along. I have a question in my mind that is there a place for 50 overs in today’s cricket. Until this Afghanistan vs England game. This champions trophy was just so monotonous.
“There used to be a time where one-day used to be play with the red ball. It is time to seriously give it a thought about this particular format of the game.”