Former Indian batsman stirs up controversy over T20 World Cup

There are only eight days left for the start of the 10th edition of the men's T20 World Cup. At this very time, former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has stirred up a fresh debate about the status and importance of the tournament. According to him, this global tournament, the shortest format of cricket, does not carry the tradition or importance of the 50-over World Cup and the two should not be seen in the same row.

Manjrekar, who represented India in the 1992 and 1996 World Cups (a total of 11 matches in the two editions), has long been saying that there is only one real World Cup in cricket. In his eyes, that status belongs only to the 50-over World Cup, which is held every four years. He believes that it tests the teams' long preparation, consistency and patience.

Manjrekar believes that the frequent organization of the T20 World Cup reduces the status of this tournament. He believes that it is very different from the traditional ODI World Cup, which is held every two years, and has a different significance and atmosphere.

Manjrekar wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "To me, 'Cricket World Cup' means a 50-over World Cup. The biennial T20 edition should not be given the same status as the quadrennial World Cup. I prefer its previous name, World T20."

Manjrekar's comments come at a time when questions are being raised about the future of the ODI format. Once the mainstay of international cricket, ODI is now considered the least attractive of the three formats. Test cricket and T20 are now far ahead in terms of schedule and viewership. There are even speculations that the 2027 World Cup in South Africa could be the last ODI World Cup, although the 2031 edition is scheduled to be jointly hosted by India and Bangladesh.

It is worth noting that the T20 tournament was known as the 'World T20' for the first six editions (2007–2016). After a gap of five years, it was renamed the 'T20 World Cup' from the 2021 edition held in the United Arab Emirates.

Manjrekar's view is also in line with the opinion of former India captain Rohit Sharma. Despite winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit has always kept the 50-over World Cup at the top.

Report by Times of India.