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Indian off-spinner R Ashwin is a man with opinions and the 35-year-old never shies away from expressing them. Ashwin is known for his knowledge of the game of cricket and is even lauded for the way he understands cricket. With the game of cricket evolving at a rapid pace, Ashwin is concerned about a few things. The Tamil Nadu cricketer feels ODI cricket is losing its relevance which is never a good sign.
Speaking on the evolution of ODI cricket, Ashwin said that it has become an extended version of T20 cricket. He also said that ODI matches of today don’t have the same ebbs and flow as they used to have a decade ago. "It's a question of relevance and I think ODI cricket needs to find its relevance. It needs to find its spot," Ashwin said on the upcoming show of the 'Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket club podcast'.
"The greatest beauty of one day cricket is – sorry was – the ebbs and flows of the game. People used to bide their time and take the game deep. The one-day format used to be a format where bowlers had a say," added the 35-year-old. He also shared an anecdote where he switched off the TV during an ODI match which he finds scary for the format.
"Even me as a cricket badger and a cricket nut, I switch off the TV after a point and that's frankly very scary for the format of the game. When those ebbs and flows go missing, it's not cricket anymore. It is just an extended form of T20," Ashwin maintained.
It’s scary as a bowler to imagine where the game is headed: Ashwin
The ever-opinionated cricketer also had his say on ‘Bazball’. While the off-spinner praised England for their resurgence in Test cricket by playing a different brand of cricket, Ashwin feared for the bowlers and called it scary. He also urged people to be careful about such a brand of cricket.
“It was amazing to watch, but as a bowler, it is quite scary to think where the game is headed. I definitely think the ball and the pitches have a role to play in how England are playing, permitting a certain brand of cricket,” Ashwin said on the podcast.
“I think we need to be careful about this brand of cricket being the way forward. Test cricket has been the same for hundreds of years and there will be games and series that are played like that. Whether it’s the same brand of cricket you play all along is very debatable,” the Indian off-spinner further said.