Had made my mark in ODIs, all talk about format’s future is nonsense, proclaims Rohit Sharma

With the T20 leagues surfacing all over the world in abundance there has been always talk about the survival of Test and ODI cricket. The lucrative paychecks in the leagues have posed a challenge for ODIs to remain relevant beyond ICC events. The recent retirement by Ben Stokes from the format further triggered the discussion and many cricketers have expressed their concern over the 50-over format becoming irrelevant.

However, India captain Rohit Sharma shares a different opinion saying all the talk is nonsense. 

“Mera naam hi one-day cricket se bana hai, sab bekar ki baatein hai, (I made my mark in ODIs, the talk is nonsense). People were earlier talking about Test cricket. For me, cricket is important -- whatever be the format. I would never say that ODI is getting finished or T20 is getting finished or Tests are nearing an end. I wish there is another format as well, because for me, playing the game is most important. Since childhood, we dreamt of playing the game for India and whenever we play ODIs, stadiums are full, the excitement remains high. It’s an individual choice as to which format to play or not, but for me, all three formats are important,” Rohit stated speaking at an event organized by leading sportswear. 

The cricket world seems to have a different structure with new leagues emerging in South Africa and UAE. Most of the team owners are from IPL and so the leagues will also offer big money for players. According to many, players have become mercenaries. Recently, Trent Boult pulled out from the central contract to be available for the leagues. 

Reflecting on the issue, Rohit said that the world will know of player’s preferences in the  coming years 

“I don’t know what people are thinking about playing leagues over international cricket. There will be ten more leagues, but in the coming years, we will get to know what the players prefer. But as of now, the situation of Indian cricket remains the same -- we play the IPL and the international cricket,” he explained.