Adam Gilchrist has said that the ODIs are not going to survive for too long and probably will become history after the next world cup which will be played in 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.
Gilchrist is considered as one of the all time greats in ODIs. His record in this format of the game is absolutely incredible. Gilchrist played 287 ODIs in which he scored 9619 runs with an average of 35.89. He announced his retirement from the ODIs four years back. He played his last ODI against India in 2008.
When asked about the gradually decreasing popularity of One Day Internationals, Gilchrist said, “The popularity of the ODIs has certainly decreased in the last few years. The evolution of T20 cricket is the main reason for it. T20s consume less time and have a lot more entertainment in them. So, people are more attracted towards them and that’s why, you see jam packed stadiums during T20 matches.”
“I think the ODIs are not going to be continued for too long now. Probably, the 2015 world cup will be the last big ODI event.”
When asked if he likes ODIs, Gilchrist said, “Yes, I like one dayers and I believe that people should watch more and more one day cricket. T20s provide entertainment, but, T20s don’t show the quality of a player. It’s a very short format and you don’t need to be super talented to be successful in T20s. Even the bits and pieces cricketers can do well in T20s. But, that’s not the case with ODIs. You need to be much more talented if you have to be a successful ODI player.”
“I will feel a bit disappointed if the ODIs become history, but, I am afraid that’s going to be the case.”