Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted at the possibility of seeing two Indians teams in the future. Incidentally, India will field two different teams in the coming months when a Virat Kohli-led side will lock horns with England in a five-match Test series while another team will be playing a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.
Ravi Shastri’s observation came ahead of India’s tour of England, which includes the World Test Championship final and a 5-Test series against the home team. The head coach feels that such a system could be ‘the way ahead’ for expanding the T20 format worldwide and taking cricket to the Olympics.
Although Shastri clarified that the latter trip is a temporary measure due to the COVID19 pandemic, but he is excited by the prospect of fielding two sides considering the pool of talents India have.
“Well, you never know. At the moment, it’s happening because of the current situation, the restrictions on travel and things of that sort. But you never know, in the future if you want to expand the game, especially in the shorter formats, it could be the way to go. You know, why not? When you have that much volume of cricketers and if you want to spread the T20 game across the globe then that could be the way ahead,” Ravi Shastri said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
Two teams could be the way forward considering the Olympics: Ravi Shastri
The ICC recently formed an Olympic committee to discuss, in detail, how and when cricket can make its return and continue to be part of the Olympic events. Currently, the 2028 edition of the marquee global event in Los Angeles is being touted as a possibility to introduce the sport.
Ravi Shastri argued that cricket will require more teams as early as possible to meet that deadline and that the two-team formula can come in handy.
“If you are talking about the Olympics in four or eight years’ time then you need more countries and it could be the way forward,” Ravi Shastri concluded.