“Why can't we have five ODIs instead of three?” - Irfan Pathan calls for stronger scheduling of ODI cricket

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has called for stronger scheduling of ODI cricket to fully capitalise on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s impact, as the veteran duo are on the verge of their retirement from international cricket.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Pathan pushed for longer series and multi-team tournaments to sustain fan engagement with respect to the Indian talismanic batting duo of Kohli and Rohit.

"That's why I am repeatedly saying one thing. Why can't we have five ODIs instead of three? Why can't we have a triangular or quadrangular series? Why can't we arrange that, because these two greats play only one format? It won't be wrong to say that if a lot of interest has returned to ODI cricket, these two have brought it," Irfan Pathan stated.

Furthermore, with the ODI World Cup far away, Pathan has urged the veteran batting duo to continue playing domestic cricket whenever they’re not playing for the Indian team to keep themselves fit and match-ready. 

"The biggest thing is that they are also performing. The World Cup is far away. You will definitely want to think about it, but I am also thinking that the more we get to see them, that these two players should keep playing, keep representing India, and when they are not playing for India, they should keep playing domestic cricket because the more they play, the better it is," he noted.

While Rohit Sharma made an emphatic return to the ODI format with the player of the series award in the three-match ODI series against Australia Down Under, Virat Kohli bagged the player of the series award at home in the three-match ODI series against South Africa.

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