Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has dropped a bombshell on his YouTube channel. He stated that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid deserve all the credit for India’s aggressive batting.
Gautam Gambhir’s name wasn’t mentioned anywhere! Ashwin clearly stated, “Rohit, as a captain, has always been laying his stamp by showing the team what he wants from it. The transitional batting that India has achieved in T20 cricket and ODI cricket — the way we bat fast — a lot of credit for that goes to Rohit and Rahul bhai.”
Fans are surprised to hear this. Previously, the Indian team played slowly in white-ball matches, but now runs are being scored quickly. Ashwin explained that Rohit stamped his mark as captain and Rahul bhai showed the way. Both of them played similarly, which changed the team’s entire mindset.
The Magic of Aggressive Batting: Proven by the World Cup
Ashwin further said, “They showed the way. Rahul bhai said this is how we have to play, and Rohit showed the way, paved the way, and eventually, it has changed the way India perceived batting. Batting is not average, it is purely strike rate in white-ball cricket.” Meaning, now there’s no worry about average, strike rate is king.
This change came after the arrival of Rohit and Dravid, following disappointments in ICC tournaments. India topped the league stage in the 2023 ODI World Cup thanks to their aggressive play.
Then, they won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA. In these matches, the batsmen suppressed the opponents. Ashwin believes that these two showed the team a new path, which is now bearing fruit.
Celebrate the stars, time is short
Now, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from T20 and Test cricket, playing only ODIs. Ashwin appealed to the fans.
He said, “I will say one thing, how much time we have to watch and enjoy Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bat, please let’s do it because once they are done, we could hear talks like ‘oh, what a player he was! Please bring him back’. That doesn’t cut ice for me.”
And further said, “For however long they play, let us celebrate them as long as they are playing. As I said, life moves on very fast. Time does not wait for anyone. It is very important that we realize that the time is less. So it is better that we enjoy whatever they are doing.”
These things of Ashwin remain a topic of discussion in the cricket world. This video is going viral on his YouTube show ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
