Ravichandran Ashwin's suggestion on how to reduce dew factor at Cricket World Cup 2023
Ravichandran Ashwin is a cricketing scientist, if we are to believe the words of former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag.
Ashwin's incredible cricketing brain came to the front again during his latest YouTube video, in which he suggested that matches in the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup in October-November in India should start at 11:30 AM, instead of the scheduled 1:30 PM. The reason? The dew factor.
While talking about the first ODI in the India vs Sri Lanka series, Ashwin mentioned how Sri Lanka had an undue advantage because of the dew and were able to minimize the margin of victory significantly. The victory margin of 67 runs wasn't representative of the sheer dominance India had on that day.
If not for India showing urgency in the first innings and putting up a significantly bigger total than average, Sri Lanka could have etched out a victory owing to Shanaka's brilliance. What should have been a regulation 100-150+ run win for the home team, turned out to be just 60 odd runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin's suggestion
Day-night ODIs in India have historically begun at 1:30 PM and Ravichandran Ashwin suggests that:
"My suggestion - or rather my opinion - for the World Cup is to look at what venues we are playing in, and at what times. Why shouldn't we start matches at 11.30am during the World Cup?"
The reason for the 1:30 PM start is that the match goes on till about 10-11 PM, capturing primetime TV viewing hours in India. Broadcasters may be of the belief that changing the time to 11:30 AM start-time may lead to reduced viewership numbers. Ashwin suggests that given the magnitude of the occasion, i.e. being the World Cup, fans will tune in regardless of the timing.
Teams all around the world consider dew to be a very important factor in ODIs in India and this leads to the toss playing a significant role in deciding the result of the match. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is already hiring new analysts, for whom one of the key questions being asked is "How big a factor is dew in Indian conditions in white-ball cricket?"
Ravichandran Ashwin believes that more teams will be looking to build their squad and strategies around the dew in India, which may lead to a skewed number of matches favoring chasing teams.
As a fan, what is your opinion on this topic? Does Ravichandran Ashwin have a point in saying that matches should begin earlier to ensure no teams get any unfair advantage?