India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to start the ODI World Cup 2023 games early to reduce dew factor.
Ashwin wants the matches of the ODI World Cup, which is slated to be take place in India in October-November 2023, to begin at 11.30 am.
Ashwin suggested that dew offers chasing teams an unfair advantage by using the example of India's first ODI match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati.
"India batted beautifully on a slow wicket and posted a score well above par. Still, they ended up having to fight tooth and nail [to win]. The quality difference between the teams isn't coming through - dew is narrowing that gap if you happen to lose the toss," he said in a video on his official YouTube channel.
"My suggestion or rather my opinion for the World Cup is to look at what venues we are playing in, and at what times. Why shouldn't we start matches at 11.30 am during the World Cup?" he added.
In India, day-night ODIs typically start around 1:30 pm and last until well into primetime. While it is debatable whether or not earlier match starts to result in more even games, broadcasters may be against such a change given the possibility of lower viewership numbers.
However, Ashwin asserted that viewers will tune in to see World Cup games regardless of the time.
"People will bring up television viewers and broadcasters, and say that people won't latch on and watch at that time, but would they not latch on to World Cup matches?" he questioned.
"The recent T20 World Cup was also held in winter, prioritising the summer [for Australia's home bilateral season]. It wasn't the ideal scenario. T20 is a fast-paced game, so how can you play it in winter? People will say that's not the case in Australia, but still, we need to prioritise World Cups.
"The ICC knows very well that there will be dew, so let's advance the game, and if we start at 11.30 am, the dew factor won't come into the game, and why not? Won't all cricket fans prioritise the World Cup and watch matches at 11.30?"