No one remembers bilateral T20 series, play shortest format in just World Cup: Ravi Shastri

PTI, Jun 2, 2022, 9:38 AM IST

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Former India coach Ravi Shastri reckons that T20 format is not meant for bilateral series between international teams and the slam-bang style of cricket should be restricted to just World Cup.

Shastri, one of the most successful India coaches, also feels that franchise cricket together with a biennial T20 World Cup is best way forward when it comes to shortest format, considering fans’ appetite for it.

Shastri’s comments have come, days before India’s five-mach T20 series against South Africa.

“…there’s too much of bilateral stuff going on in T20 cricket. I’ve said that (before), even when I was the coach of India, I could see it happening in front of my eyes,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.

“It should go the football way, where, in T20 cricket, you just play the World Cup. Bilateral tournaments – no one remembers.”

Shastri, whose tenure as India coach ended last year, said he doesn’t “remember a single (T20) game in the last six-seven years as coach of India, barring the World Cup.”

“A team wins the World Cup, they will remember it. Unfortunately, we didn’t, so I don’t remember that either.

“Where I am coming from is: you play franchise cricket around the globe; each country is allowed to have their franchise cricket, which is their domestic cricket, and then, every two years, you come and play a World Cup.”

The IPL media and broadcasting rights for the next five-year cycle are going to go up for sale in June.

Discussing the future of IPL, former India opener Akash Chopra said: “I actually foresee there might be two editions of the IPL in every calendar year. And that’s not too far away.”

Shastri agreed with Chopra.

“That’s the future,” he said.

“It could be tomorrow – 140 games, split 70-70. In two seasons. You never know. That’s the way it’s going to go. That’s the way it’s developed as a beast of a property. And you cannot hide away from that.

“You might think that’s overdose, but nothing is overdose in India. I have been sitting outside the bubble, I have been watching people, how they have seen, how they have reviewed these last few months, especially [after coming] out of Covid. And they are loving every bit of it, and they are almost having withdrawal symptoms.”

The 2022 season of IPL ended on Sunday with newcomers Gujarat Titans lifting the trophy.