Shastri claimed that reducing the format was the need of the hour while recalling the format as a 60-over contest at one point in time. The former Indian head coach stressed how the attention span of people has massively reduced and hence stated that ODI cricket needs to be changed to a 40-over contest.

“For One Day cricket to survive, I think it should be reduced to a forty-over game in future and the reason I say this is because when we won the World Cup in 1983, it was a 60-over game. Then the attention span of the people diminished and it became a fifty over game. I think the time has come for it to become now a 40-over game. Evolve with the times. Reduce the format,” Shastri said in commentatory during the ongoing India-Australia Test match in Ahmedabad.

Shasri was candid in his views and admitted T20 cricket is key to the game’s growth and called it the ‘cash cow’ of the game. However, he also stated that bilateral matches need to be reduced.

“T20 format I think is the key. It is the injection the game needs to evolve. It’s the cash cow for the sport. But I think there also the bilaterals should be reduced. There are enough domestic leagues around the world that promote the T20 game. We should let those leagues happen and then have a World Cup, just in between. Very few bilaterals, if needed before a World Cup or something of that sort. Then you can sustain all three formats,” Shastri added.