Virender Sehwag believes Tests, ODIs and T20Is can flourish together | Cricket News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Former star India opener Virender Sehwag believes there is every reason to believe that all three cricket formats — Tests, ODIs, T20Is — can flourish together.
Of late, there have been growing concerns with players giving up on one or the other international format to create room for themselves to focus on one or two formats at the most, and many believe it is because of the growth of T20 franchise cricket.
That has led to concerns around Tests and ODIs losing relevance, with a career in T20 cricket providing more financial stability since the advent of the shortest white-ball format. On that note, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has led the way in the popularity of T20s.
Moreover, the shortest format may also pave way for the sport to enter the Olympic programme.
“I don’t agree that only T20 is the way forward,” Sehwag told Reuters.
“Test cricket and one-day cricket will stay because the ICC makes sure countries play them, so it can organise the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. Test cricket and ODIs are very much part of how the game moves forward,” he added.
Sehwag, however, agreed that cricketers have never thrived more than since the T20 leagues around the world have grown.
“I think this is the best time to play cricket because even if you don’t play for your country and just play these T20 leagues, you are secure from a financial point of view,” said Sehwag, who featured in seven seasons of the IPL besides being in coaching roles with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).
Sehwag, who is the face of UAE’s International League T20 (ILT20), said that ILT20 will find its place amid the big leagues.
“The league is run by professionals, has the best players taking part in it, and the franchise owners have experience in running sports teams,” he said. “The biggest advantage is the league is in the UAE, which means a larger number of people from across continents will be able to watch it because the time zone will suit them.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Of late, there have been growing concerns with players giving up on one or the other international format to create room for themselves to focus on one or two formats at the most, and many believe it is because of the growth of T20 franchise cricket.
That has led to concerns around Tests and ODIs losing relevance, with a career in T20 cricket providing more financial stability since the advent of the shortest white-ball format. On that note, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has led the way in the popularity of T20s.
Moreover, the shortest format may also pave way for the sport to enter the Olympic programme.
“I don’t agree that only T20 is the way forward,” Sehwag told Reuters.
“Test cricket and one-day cricket will stay because the ICC makes sure countries play them, so it can organise the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. Test cricket and ODIs are very much part of how the game moves forward,” he added.
Sehwag, however, agreed that cricketers have never thrived more than since the T20 leagues around the world have grown.
“I think this is the best time to play cricket because even if you don’t play for your country and just play these T20 leagues, you are secure from a financial point of view,” said Sehwag, who featured in seven seasons of the IPL besides being in coaching roles with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).
Sehwag, who is the face of UAE’s International League T20 (ILT20), said that ILT20 will find its place amid the big leagues.
“The league is run by professionals, has the best players taking part in it, and the franchise owners have experience in running sports teams,” he said. “The biggest advantage is the league is in the UAE, which means a larger number of people from across continents will be able to watch it because the time zone will suit them.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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