Harbhajan Singh, the former Indian spinner, was a recent guest on PTI’s podcast where he touched upon a variety of topics. One of the keenly discussed issues was the future of ODI cricket. The 46-year-old, who won the fifty-over World Cup with India, said that the format is losing interest amongst fans.

The ex-India player was asked if franchise cricket was becoming more important than international cricket. To which he said that 70% of the world wanted to watch different leagues over international cricket. Singh also said that there is good viewership for matches like India vs Australia or the Ashes rather than the Men in Blue taking on teams like Afghanistan or Sri Lanka.

The 103-Test veteran also said that his attention was captivated by the big-ticket cricket series that India are part of. Harbhajan counted the examples of India’s battles against the Aussies, English, and South Africa. The former Mumbai Indians star also said that he prefers to watch Test Cricket and had no interest in watching the ODI format.

It is to be noted that the former Indian bowler has picked UP 269 wickets from 236 ODI matches.

Indian legend then said that Test Cricket was the pinnacle of the sport and the format must be protected at all costs and should be promoted because that is the only form of cricket that puts a player through the ultimate Test.

Ex-CSK star also opined that the popularity of various leagues has made international cricket take a backseat, making it difficult for the international matches to upstage league cricket. The legendary spinner also admitted that leagues like the IPL have become a festival that has a lot of fans’ interest.

ICC CEO’s statement on ODI cricket future

The International Cricket Council’s CEO, Sanjog Gupta, in a recent interview with PTI, said that bilateral tournaments, which in the past were arranged randomly, might have no future. He further went on to say that such series don’t have much value as they don’t bring out the context, culture and competition.

Mr. Gupta then said that ODI World Cups, both Men and Women, still have their separate place and fan base. It is important to look at where the format stands and how it can evolve, which also includes more participation.