Former Australia skipper Greg Chappell expressed his approval of the current state of the ODI format, stating that it is in excellent condition.
Chappell’s comments come at a time when there have been discussions about potentially reducing the format to 40 overs due to the decreasing viewership. Chappell expressed satisfaction with the World Cup, stating that ODI cricket is not just thriving but alive and thriving.
“ODI cricket is alive and throbbing, not just thriving, and by many metrics, this tournament has been very successful,” Chappell said in an interview with Cricbuzz. “After Sunday, there will be some withdrawal symptoms felt by cricket fans the world over.”
Chappell also praised Virat Kohli for his remarkable achievement of scoring 50 centuries in one-day cricket, describing it as fantastic. He emphasised the significance of Kohli surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries.
“The fear of Virat Kohli to become the first man to score 50 centuries in ODI cricket is nothing short of fantastic, the fact that he surpassed The Little Master to achieve the feat puts the magnitude of the performance into perspective,” Chappell added.
When discussing India’s performance in the World Cup, Chappell highlighted Kohli’s century in the semi-final against New Zealand as a crucial factor in securing India’s place in the final. Despite Australia’s historical advantage in World Cup head-to-head matches, Chappell acknowledged India’s strong performance, stating that they have been playing brilliantly.
Looking ahead to the India-Australia final, Chappell believes that the Australian team will need to produce something ‘extra-special’ to secure their sixth win in eight World Cup finals. Despite Australia’s vulnerabilities in the tournament, Chappell recognised their historical prowess as knockout specialists.
“It will be up to this highly cohesive Australian team to find something really extra-special from within themselves if they are to make it their sixth win in eight World Cup finals — a phenomenal record, India has played brilliantly and does not have a chink in their armour,” Chappell added.