When asked whether the ICC should follow an IPL-like format of having playoffs, India coach Ravi Shastri's response was emphatic: "I have always said that. The IPL format is fantastic
India coach Ravi Shastri addresses the media yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
After 27 years, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has reverted to a format for the forthcoming World Cup which was in place during the 1992 edition where all teams played each other at least once.
However, there is a flip side to a 10-team format. One slip-up in the semi-final or a rain intervention can result in the end of a team's World Cup campaign, irrespective of how clinical they were in reaching the Top Four.
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When asked whether the ICC should follow an IPL-like format of having playoffs, India coach Ravi Shastri's response was emphatic: "I have always said that. The IPL format is fantastic.
Rain factor
"You never know, in the future, they might think of doing it because of that [rain factor]. At the moment, we will just have to say bad luck because it [rain] is not some thing you can prepare for. If nature intervenes, then tough luck," said Shastri in the pre-departure press conference at the BCCI headquarters yesterday.
For someone who has played in a similar format (nine teams) during the 1992 World Cup, Shastri said the format is quite a challenge. "Very challenging… like Virat [Kohli] mentioned… any team can beat any team on a given day. If you look at 2015 and 2019, now the gap is much closer between teams.
"The good thing, though, is that there are those nine games, rather than just three or four games [in the group stage] where you have to be on the ball from the outset," said the coach.
'Most challenging WC'
Skipper Kohli, who will embark on his third World Cup journey after being a part of the 2011 and 2015 editions, said this is the most challenging one. "Personally, I think, it is probably the most challenging World Cup of all the three that I have been a part of because of the format and looking at strength of all the sides as well.
"If you look at an Afghanistan from 2015 to now, they are a completely different side. Any team can upset anyone on their day. That's one thing that we have in mind. Every game you have to play to the best of your potential because it's not a group stage any more, it's just playing everyone one once. It's a great thing to have for any team. It's going to be different challenge and something that every team will have to adapt very quickly to," said Kohli.
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