I don’t agree that only T20 is the way forward, Test and ODI cricket will stay: Virender Sehwag

In the last decade, the T20s have generated more interest than Tests and One Day Internationals as a result of which a few players, at times, have given weightage to the franchise leagues across the globe as compared to their respective national teams.

Meanwhile, former India opener Virender Sehwag has wondered why only T20 is the way forward in the future and why cannot there be an equal amount of weightage for Tests and ODIs.

However, Sehwag did agree with the fact that since the T20 franchise leagues ensure that the participating players are financially secured, they have no second thoughts on prioritizing this form of the game.

Test cricket and one-day cricket will stay: Virender Sehwag

“I don’t agree that only T20 is the way forward. Test cricket and one-day cricket will stay because the ICC makes sure countries play them so it can organise the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. Test cricket and ODIs are very much part of how the game moves forward,” Sehwag was quoted as saying by News18.

“I think this is the best time to play cricket because even if you don’t play for your country and just play these T20 leagues, you are secure from a financial point of view," he added.

In the last few months, the seasoned New Zealand duo of pace spearhead Trent Boult and all-rounder James Neesham have turned down the central contracts for playing overseas franchise leagues.

Even some of the eminent names of West Indies cricket including the likes of power-hitter Andre Russell, mystery spinner Sunil Narine, etc have not been making themselves available for national selections for a while and have been giving prime importance to franchise cricket especially the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the emergence of SA20 and the UAE-based ILT20, the interest level in franchise T20 leagues is expected to skyrocket both commercially and in terms of viewership.