India, Jan. 1 -- Ravichandran Ashwin has sounded an alarm that Indian cricket can't afford to shrug off: the 50-over game could start feeling optional once the Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli era winds down. On his YouTube show Ash ki Baat, the off-spinner framed it less as nostalgia and more as a warning about attention, habit, and what fans actually choose to watch.

The backdrop is an ODI calendar that has thinned out in recent years for top sides, even as the next Men's ODI World Cup in 2027 is already on the horizon.

"I am not sure about the future of ODI after the 2027 World Cup. I am a little worried about it. Of course, I am following the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but the manner in which I followed SMAT, I am finding it slightly difficult to...