It’s been a long time since former legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who is also known as the ‘God of cricket’, said goodbye to international cricket. But despite this, Tendulkar’s attachment to cricket did not diminish. Tendulkar is often seen on many shows and events. Recently, he arrived as a special guest at the India Today Conclave 2023 held in New Delhi.
Tendulkar talked about many cricket-related topics. However, his big statement on the ODI format caught the attention of many cricket fans and experts as he stated that the 50-over format is getting ‘boring’ and ‘too predictable’.
“It’s getting monotonous without any doubt. There are two parts. One is the current format and the next is which I feel it should be played. Let me talk about the current format which has been there for a while now is two new balls. When you have two new balls, it eliminated reverse swing. Even though we are in the 40th over of the game, it’s actually the 20th over of that ball,” Sachin Tendulkar said.
“But I think it only starts reversing around the 30th over or so. There was a bit of discoloration and the ball gets softer. When the ball started discoloring, picking the shiny and the rough side becomes difficult. That element is missing today because of two new balls.”
The current format is heavy on the bowlers: Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin is the only batter who has smashed 100 centuries in international cricket. During the event, Sachin also revealed that said he talked to spinners about the new fielding restrictions and how the bowlers were not happy about having 5 fielders inside the 30-yard circle, that too in the last 10 overs of the 50-over format.
“Also for spinners, I have spoken to a few spinners. I was trying to understand their mindset with 5 fielders in the ring. The bowlers are saying that we don’t have the freedom to change our lines. Even if we know that there is a possibility of the batter making the mistake, if we change our line then we might have to pay a heavy price. They don’t have the protection now in the current format.” He added.
“The current format is heavy on the bowlers. it’s challenging with 5 fielders in the ring and 2 new balls. Right now, the game is becoming too predictable. From the 15th over to the 40th over, there is not enough momentum. There are not enough eyeballs. It’s getting boring. How do we balance that out? How do we balance out the dew factor? If a captain has lost the toss, if he has to bowl second in wet conditions, it becomes really, really difficult.”
