New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes T20 cricket has cemented its place as the format that will drive the sport’s future, while expressing doubts over the long-term sustainability of One-Day Internationals.

Speaking during a media interaction after the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) 2026 Player Draft on Thursday, the Dublin Guardians captain and mentor said T20’s shorter duration makes it the ideal vehicle for cricket’s global expansion and its return to the Olympic Games.

Responding to a question on whether cricket’s growth in emerging nations should focus only on T20s or extend equally to other formats, Ashwin stressed that players must first master the art of adapting to different situations, irrespective of the format they play.

“I think cricket as a whole needs to be learned in a way that you get better every single day. You should be able to adapt. The name of the game is adaptation,” Ashwin said in a media interaction following the conclusion of the ETPL 2026 Player Draft.

He pointed to India’s recent T20I series against Ireland as an example of how external conditions can significantly influence the shortest format, forcing players to evolve constantly.

“Which is why what happened recently between India and Ireland in that T20 series is a classic example of how conditions can eliminate a lot of aspects of the game that have been developed as a root cause of T20 as a sport,” the all-rounder added.

The veteran spinner, however, believes that when it comes to expanding cricket’s footprint across new markets, T20 remains the most practical and effective format.

“But that aside, our job will be purely on T20 cricket and how it can get better. And if the game has to become global and it has to become an Olympic sport, the shorter the game, the more viable it is,” the Dublin Guardians captain and mentor stated.

Ashwin said the format’s accessibility and the opportunities created by franchise leagues around the world would continue to fuel its growth and expose a wider pool of players to elite competition, stating, “And that’s how it’s going to become much bigger, and you will see a better sample size of players. Which is also very critical for several of these leagues, which run through the year.”

The 38-year-old then offered a blunt assessment of how he views the future of the game’s formats. “T20 as a sport is here to stay. I am not too sure about ODI cricket.”

–IANS

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