Reduce ODI World Cup to 40-overs-a-side contest: Ravi Shastri

With the ODI World Cup in India less than seven months away, former India chief coach Ravi Shastri has raised the pitch for future editions of the ICC tournament to be 40-overs-a-side affair to give it a fresh lease of life.

"For One-day cricket to survive, I think it should be reduced to 40-over game in future," said the former India captain on day four of the fourth India-Australia Test on Sunday.

Shastri said the game should address the diminishing attention span of spectators and pointed out that when the Kapil Dev-led India won the ODI World Cup in 1983, it was a 60-over-a-side tournament before it was reduced to a 50-over affair.

The former player also added that Test cricket will continue to enjoy its pride of place as it was the "real thing".

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