No one remembers bilateral T20 series, play shortest format in just World Cup: Ravi Shastri

Shastri reckons that T20 format is not meant for bilateral series between international teams and the slam-bang style of cricket should be restricted to just World Cup. Shastri, one of the most successful India coaches, also feels that franchise cricket together with a biennial T20 World Cup is best way forward when it comes to shortest format, considering fans' appetite for it. Shastri's comments have come, days before India's five-match T20 series against South Africa. "...there's too much of bilateral stuff going on in T20 cricket. I've said that (before), even when I was the coach of India, I could see it happening in front of my eyes," Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.

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"It should go the football way, where, in T20 cricket, you just play the World Cup. Bilateral tournaments - no one remembers." Shastri, whose tenure as India coach ended last year, said he doesn't "remember a single (T20) game in the last six-seven years as coach of India, barring the World Cup." "A team wins the World Cup, they will remember it. Unfortunately, we didn't, so I don't remember that either. "Where I am coming from is: you play franchise cricket around the globe; each country is allowed to have their franchise cricket, which is their domestic cricket, and then, every two years, you come and play a World Cup." The IPL media and broadcasting rights for the next five-year cycle are going to go up for sale in June. Discussing the future of IPL, former India opener Akash Chopra said: "I actually foresee there might be two editions of the IPL in every calendar