“It’s definitely an overdose of cricket for both the cricketers and the audience”
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Former India team director Ravi Shastri believes that the Champions Trophy is a waste of time and should not exist.
The Champions Trophy was terminated after India won the event in 2013, but it has now returned and will be held in England in June.
For Shastri, he feels the tournament does nothing but dilute the importance of bigger competitions like the World Cup.
“It’s definitely an overdose of cricket for both the cricketers and the audience. It’s hard on the players as well,” he told IANS. “I believe in retaining quality rather than quantity. By having so many tournaments, it’s important that you don’t dilute the main event, which is the World Cup.
“Having such tournaments was OK in the past when there was no T20 cricket. Now you have got a 50-over World Cup, a World T20, Champions Trophy, Test Championship — how many champions do you want in a single sport?
“If you ask me about the last 10-12 World Cups (winners), I will tell you, (but) you ask me the last three Champions Trophy winners, I don’t know. The last one (in England in 2013) I will tell, because India won.”
Meanwhile, Shastri also lauded India for coming from behind to beat Australia 2-1 in their recent four-Test series.
“It was a tough series where both the teams played it hard. But at the end of the day, I would say the better team won,” he said. “It’s a high voltage series and you can expect such barbs from either side. So tempers will definitely go through the roof but at the end of all, it ended well for India.”
Shastri is also backing India to do well overseas as this year, they will travel to Sri Lanka in July for a three-Test series before heading to South Africa for three Tests towards the end of 2017.
“You have got to win Test overseas. You have got the team, the fast bowlers who can bowl in any conditions. You got a bowling unit that can take 20 wickets, which is the most important thing,” he said. “You take 20 wickets, put enough runs on the board and you give yourself a chance of winning.”