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'It can be way forward if cricket has to be part of Olympics': Ravi Shastri bats for two squads in different locations
While the Virat Kohli-led India Test team will be busy with the five-match Test series in England, a limited-overs Indian side possibly under the leadership of Shikhar Dhawan or Hardik Pandya will tour Sri Lanka for ODIs and T20Is.
For the first time ever there is a possibility that two different Indian teams, albeit in different formats, will play almost at the same time in two different parts of the world. While the Virat Kohli-led India Test team will be busy with the five-match Test series in England, a limited-overs Indian side possibly under the leadership of Shikhar Dhawan or Hardik Pandya will tour Sri Lanka for ODIs and T20Is. Reacting on the same, India head coach Ravi Shastri said that two different squads in different locations can be a regular thing in the future.
“Playing with two squads in different locations regularly is a possibility in the long run,” Shastri said in the virtual press conference before India left for the UK.
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"Well you never know. At the moment it's happening because of the current situation and 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, then it could be the way to go,” said Shastri.
Shastri further added that if cricket has to be a part of the Olympics in future, this two squad theory can spread the game to different parts of the world at a greater pace.
"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 because if you're talking of Olympics in four years or eight years'' time, you need more countries to play the game. So that could be a way forward," he added.
India captain Virat Kohli agreed with Shastri and said two squads in different locations can be a norm.
"With the current structure and the kind of structure that you're competing inside for a long period of time, it's very difficult for the players to stay motivated and find the right kind of mental space," said Kohli.
"You know just confined in one area and just doing the stuff, day in and day out when you're dealing with high pressure situations. So, this (two squads) will definitely become a norm for the future," he added.
