‘Virat Kohli aur Rohit Sharma ko touch nahi kar payenge’: Ashwin makes bold statement | Cricket News
New Delhi: Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has abandoned his support Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohliand said the two senior batsmen cannot simply be dropped if they still want to play for the Indian team. Ashwin’s remarks came after Rohit put to rest talk of retirement with his superb century performance in the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s. Although India lost the match by 27 runs and the series 2-1, Rohit’s 138 reminded everyone why he remains one of India’s biggest match-winners. Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat: “‘Rohit Sharma aur Virat Kohli ko touch nahi kar payenge (They won’t be able to touch Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma). If they want to play, they can’t touch Virat and Rohit. It’s because of their seniority. Rohit has scored nearly 12,000 runs; they can’t touch him.”Ashwin said there was another major reason why it was difficult for the two stars to be left out.“The other thing is, they can’t be touched because they’re hitters. They have an army, a battalion. People come to see them. If you drop them, it just knocks the roof off.”Ashwin also pointed out that bowlers do not get the same level of public support as star batsmen.“But if Shami, Siraj or Bhuvneshwar are not picked, 10 people will raise doubts. 100 people, 1,000 people, maybe 10,000 people will raise doubts. But they will not raise a voice. If one day people raise a voice against the bowlers, it will be difficult to give up on them.”
Rohit responds to criticism with century of lord
Rohit’s position in the ODI side has come under scrutiny after reports emerged that the BCCI selection committee would not consider him for the 2027 ODI World Cup.The India skipper scored 11 and 26 runs in the first two ODIs against England before delivering a stunning knock in the series decider.Chasing 388 at Lord’s, Rohit struck 138 off just 110 balls, hitting 17 fours and five sixes. He almost kept India’s chase going till the end despite the visitors eventually trailing by 27 runs.
“The noise will be there”
After the match, Rohit made it clear that speculation about his future never affected him.Speaking to BCCI.tv, he said external criticism has been a part of his career and his only focus is to play for India.“Listen, my job is to represent my country with the bat… that’s what I’m going to do. The noise… it’s been there since I made my debut and till I stay here, it will always be there. So it doesn’t matter. What matters is what I do on the field,” Rohit said.
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