Tendulkar advocates double-innings ODIs

Indian master batsman, Sachin Tendulkar has added fuel to the already raging fire about the viability of ODIs, by saying that the games could be made more exciting and interesting by dividing the 100 overs in the day into four innings of 25 overs each. He has also said that this could ensure that the team which wins the toss will not have a distinct advantage over the team, which is currently the case on almost 75% of the times these days according to the maestro.

He said, “Today, we can tell the result of close to 75% of matches after the toss. We know how the conditions will affect the two teams. But it is not too dependent on the toss because, for example, in a day-night match both the teams will have to bat under lights. The conditions change very dramatically but this would ensure that it's same for everyone.”

Tendulkar spoke about the thought coming into existence for the first time in the finals of the Mini World Cup of 2002, in which Sri Lanka and India had to split the points because of the rains. Sri Lanka had batted first on both, the main and the reserve day, and played all fifty overs of the innings before the rains put an end to anyone’s hopes. Later, the rules were changed and the innings could be carried forward to the next day instead of restarting the whole match. India and Sri Lanka had shared that cup.

His remarks come at a time when there has been a lot of talk of how the fifty-overs game was dying a slow death, hastened due to the existence and fame of the T20Is. The English domestic structure has already put an end to the fifty overs format, and plays only 40-over cricket, whereas the South Africans were also planning to do something on similar lines. Shane Warne has rather drastically called for the end of the fifty overs game by calling it past its sell-by date and there have been many who have supported his call.

The English board has also said that it will have a talk with the ICC after the 2011 version of the World Cup on how would be the best way to proceed with respect to the ODIs, on a formal basis.