"You might see him going from there as well"- Ravi Shastri claims Hardik Pandya may quit ODI cricket after 2023 World Cup
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has made the bold claim that all-rounder Hardik Pandya may quit playing ODI cricket after the conclusion of next year's World Cup in India.
The Baroda all-rounder was absolutely sensational for the Men in Blue in their white-ball leg of the England tour. When fully fit, Pandya is probably the best seam-bowling all-rounder India have at the moment. That being said, Shastri feels playing in the shortest format is the all-rounder's priority.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Ravi Shastri explained how many could follow Ben Stokes into retiring from the ODIs. He said:
"You have players already choosing what formats they want to play. Take a Hardik Pandya. He wants to play T20 cricket and he is very clear in his mind that 'I do not want to play anything else."
Hardik Pandya in this decider ODI match against England:-
7-3-24-4
71(55).
What a All-round Performance by Hardik Pandya. One of the best ever for India in ODIs and comes in England in decider match. Hardik Pandya What a player. https://t.co/RBAc1cgCVQ
Shastri also spoke about why Pandya would want to continue till the World Cup next year. He added:
"He will play the 50-over cricket because there is a World Cup in India next year. After that, you might see him going from there as well. You will see a similar thing happening with other players, they will start choosing formats, they have every right to."
Whatever you say about the ODI format, the truth is that ODI world cup remains the biggest prize in the Cricket Universe. 4-5 years ago I would have said that a Test Cricket world cup would be the biggest prize, but after watching these WTCs, I can confirm its ODI World Cup.
Ravi Shastri on how ODI cricket can survive
Ever since Ben Stokes quit ODI cricket citing packed scheduling, there has been a debate about whether the 50-over format would survive in the presence of Tests and T20s. Many former cricketers felt that the format would probably die one day.
However, Ravi Shastri is of the opinion that the format could still remain relevant if the focus was more on playing the World Cup rather than just bilaterals. He stated:
"50-over format might be pushed back but it can still survive if you just focus on the World Cup. From the ICC's point of view, paramount importance should be given to World Cups, whether it is T20 World Cup or 50-over World Cup, the bucks have to increase. Test cricket will always remain because of the importance it brings to the game."
Due to the value that he adds both as a batter and a bowler, Pandya's workload should be properly managed by the Indian team management and selectors.