Ashwin on Rohit
Ashwin on Rohit: As Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma return for the ODI series against Australia—their first since the Champions Trophy—speculation about their ODI retirement is growing.
With the next 50-over World Cup two years away, questions remain about their future in the format. Their teammate, Ravichandran Ashwin, has now spoken bluntly about the situation.
Ashwin’s Core Argument: Handle Veterans Better
Ashwin acknowledged that both legends are “at the back-end of their careers” and that the selectors have signaled a desire to move the team forward. However, he stressed that the process for handling this transition needs improvement.
“The way to deal with players at the back-end of their careers should be better,” Ashwin stated. He emphasized that while fans may easily say veterans should retire, the system often overlooks the need for “solid communication and knowledge transfer.”
A Call for Clearer Communication
Ashwin revealed that the core of the issue is a lack of clear communication. He suggested that transparent conversations with Kohli and Rohit should have happened immediately after they retired from T20Is following the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“Why did it not happen then?” he asked. “Had it happened back then, they could have thought about whether to continue… This current situation leaves a lot of uninformed space.”
He concluded that without clean and transparent communication from the board, even players of Kohli and Rohit’s stature are left in a “very tender space,” fueling endless public speculation.
