Sachin Tendulkar has suggested changes to One-Day International cricket, reiterating his opinion that the 50 overs per team be split into two innings of 25 overs each.
The Indian batting legend believes the tweak will neutralise the toss advantage and give both teams the challenge of dealing with dew in day-night matches. Such a change, he believes, will also engage the spectators more as the teams think on their feet to gain the upper hand.
Speaking to the Times of India , Tendulkar said: "The 50-over format is the first thing that needs a look-in. As I had suggested, the format needs a tweak of two innings of 25 overs per side with a 15-minute break between each innings.
"The number of innovations that can be brought in are huge. Let's say, there's a 50-overs-a-side match between Team A and Team B. Team A wins the toss, bats for 25 overs; then Team B bats for 25 overs. Team A resumes innings from the 26th over [with wickets left from its first innings], Team B then resumes the last innings to chase the target. If Team A has lost all their wickets within the first 25 overs itself, then Team B gets 50 overs [25 overs plus 25 overs with a break] to chase the target," Tendulkar explained.
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The 2011 World Cup winner said such a change in the format will give teams "a chance to come back into the game". "There's always a chance to come back into the game. In a regular 50-over format, if a side wins toss and there's dew, the side bowling second has no chance. The wet ball just skids on to the bat and it's never a fair battle."
Tendulkar has also suggested changes to the Indian domestic competitions, which, according to him, can be reinvented to benefit the players.
"Look at the challenger. Players come from different states, zones, play together for a few days and disperse. There's no team bonding. Do we even remember these games? The same applies to the Duleep Trophy in certain ways. It doesn't serve any purpose when players arrive overnight from different zones and play a few matches and go their separate ways. Even in IPL, teams stay together for two months," he said.
So, how can the current formats be tweaked?
Tendulkar said: "The four semifinalists from the Ranji [Trophy] should play the Duleep [Trophy]. The additional two teams should be carved out of the rest of the domestic players, and those who've done exceedingly well should be included. Here, the under-19 and under-23 players should be promoted. A player who doesn't fit in the senior team could well be playing against players in this space."
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