9 Fielders Inside Circle, 4 Powerplays... - Gautam Gambhir's Radical Suggestion To Save ODI Cricket

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has come up with radical proposals to make ODI cricket more interesting. The future of ODI cricket has been a major talking point in the cricketing world for quite some time now.

The meteoric rise of T20 cricket has had a substantial impact on the 50-over format, and its popularity has been declining at an alarming level. The experts have been suggesting several measures to save ODI cricket. Recently, former India allrounder and head coach Ravi Shastri stated that the game should be reduced to 40-over per innings in order to deal with fans’ decreasing attention span.

There are also calls to do away with bilateral ODIs. Earlier this year, the MCC advocated for restricting bilateral ODI cricket post the 2027 World Cup, while also questioning the value the format adds to an already congested calendar. The MCC stated that a reduction in ODI cricket would enhance the format’s rapidly diminishing value and quality.

Gautam Gambhir’s suggestion to make ODIs more interesting:

Gautam Gambhir believes the current version of ODI cricket is very boring and needs some shake-up. Speaking to Sportskeeda, the World Cup-winning former cricketer said that the game is in immediate need of some changes. He said that there should be four powerplays in ODI cricket to make it more interesting and appealing.

“In the first 10 overs, there should be nine fielders inside the 30-yard circle. This number should be five for the next 20 overs. From overs 31-40, there should be four fielders inside and from 41-50 only three. Spinners can then be used in the last 10 overs as six fielders are on the boundary,” said Gautam Gambhir.

“Start with two new balls, but only till 20 overs. After 20 overs, tell the captain to choose one of the two balls and use that one for the next 30 overs. This will aid finger spinners and bowlers will get reverse swing as well,” he added.

Speaking further, Gautam Gambhir said that the triangular and quadrangular series should make a comeback while also opining that there is not much fun in bilateral series.

“I loved it. Tri-series and quadrangular series were fun. There is no fun in playing bilateral series. You are just playing against one opposition four-five times. Imagine playing seven-eight ODIs where India, Australia and England are playing or India, Australia, New Zealand,” he said.

“Every day brings a new challenge. It is like a mini-competition. Triangular and quadrangular series’ need to come back,” Gambhir concluded.