BCCI Urged To Increase Boundary Sizes Ahead Of ODI World Cup 2027

Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar believes India should start preparing for the next two ICC events by making one important change at home by increasing the size of the boundaries.

Why India need to increase the boundary size?

The 2027 ODI World Cup will be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, while the 2028 T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand. Since grounds in those countries generally have bigger boundaries than those in India, Gavaskar feels Indian batters need to get used to playing on larger grounds before the tournaments.

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“It’s absolutely imperative, when the new Indian season begins, to get the boundary sizes increased so that our batters get used to that before the World Cup next year. At virtually every ground, there is plenty of space for people to walk behind the LED advertising boards, so it tells you that if this space is utilised, the boundary size will automatically increase,” Gavaskar wrote in his Sportstar column.

The batting great also stressed that players need to be smarter in the ODI format instead of attacking every bowler.

“It’s necessary to play smart cricket. So, figure out the bowler who doesn’t need to be counter-attacked. Then target the bowlers against whom you can make up for the quiet over from the better bowler. No team in the world has five top bowlers, and there will always be eight to 12 overs in a T20 game where the runs can be looted. Similarly, in the 50-over format, a little patience won’t hurt even if the team is chasing a big score like 380-plus.”

He added that good shot selection is the key to success in ODIs and batters should not let their reputation dictate how they play.

“Shot selection is very important and here the batter has to rein in his ego and not try to live up to an image, but play the ball on its merits. Yes, in the ultra-short format, the T20, it is not easy to do so as big shots are needed virtually every other delivery. But it is different in the ODI format, where there is time for a short period of settling down before the power shots are unfurled,” said Gavaskar.

India’s most recent ODI assignment was the three-match series against England, where Shubman Gill’s side was beaten 3-0. The Men in Blue will next return to ODI action in September when they face the West Indies in a three-match series.

India's ODI schedule in the home season 2026-27