NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has criticized the two new-ball rule in One Day Internationals, calling it ‘unfair’ and arguing that it alters the dynamics of the game. Gambhir urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to scrap the rule, asserting that it is detrimental to finger-spinners.
The rule, adopted in October 2011 to help the ball retain its shine and minimize reverse swing, has led to fewer opportunities for finger-spinners to effectively impact matches.
Speaking at an event in Kolkata, Gambhir emphasized that the rule unfairly disadvantages finger-spinners, affecting their participation in white-ball cricket. “I don’t know what the spirit of cricket is because everyone plays with the right spirit of the game. If there are rules, anyway, there is the spirit of the game. But one thing that I would definitely want to change is to get rid of two new balls,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by ANI.
“Especially in white-ball cricket because it is very, very unfair on a finger spinner. It is very unfair on a finger spinner to not be playing enough white-ball cricket because there is nothing for them. It is not right,” he added.
Gambhir urged the ICC to amend the rule to give all players an equal chance to showcase their talents, irrespective of their bowling style. “The job of the ICC is to make sure that everyone with their skill should get an equal opportunity to showcase his talent. But when you take that talent from a certain section of players, it is very unfair. Today, you hardly see any finger spinner playing white-ball cricket. Why? It’s not them to be blamed; it’s the ICC that needs to be blamed for it. For me, one thing that I want to get rid of is two new balls because it makes the contest between bat and ball much more even,” Gambhir said.
