Cricket World Cup: With ODIs on life support, can India save the format - again?

Here come India to save one-day international cricket. Again.

We have been here before. Probably more than once, actually. But seeing as we are on the eve of another subcontinent World Cup, this is the most obvious parallel.

Back in 2011, this format of the game – 50-over cricket – seemed all set to be pensioned off. Many would have been happy to see it go.

It had had its time. It was outdated in a world in which T20 was sweeping all before it.

India and Pakistan had just taken turns to win the newly minted 20-over version of the World Cup. Even England had had their go at winning that, too.

So, all the main powerbrokers were happy with the shortest format, even those (read India) who had to be persuaded to join the revolution – presciently, because of the effect it might have on the ODI game.

The 50-over version of the game was long and fusty, overblown and boring in comparison.

Remedial measures were proposed by the well-intentioned. Dean Jones, the free-thinking former Australian batter, suggested splitting 50-over games into two innings per side, to minimise the advantage for the side winning the toss and thus limit the number of one-sided games.

A South African businessman trialled an even more fragmented version with the MCC, including in matches in Abu Dhabi.

In his game, 50-over matches were split into five-over segments. His reasoning being that tennis players don’t serve 300 balls at their opponent before swapping round, as it would take all day to work out who is winning.

The proposals were a tacit acceptance that 50-over cricket could not survive in its present guise. Unless something seismic was to happen.

Then MS Dhoni belted Nuwan Kulasekara 10 rows back at the Wankhede Stadium. He dusted off his