Ashwin defends Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli skipping T20I series vs West Indies and Irelad ahead of ODI World Cup

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are right in skipping T20I series ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not played in the shortest format of the international game since India’s loss against England in the T20 World Cup 2022. Sharma and Kohli last played in the ODI series against West Indies, where the batter’s barely played any part in the series. Both skipped the T20Is against West Indies and Ireland.

While Virat returned to India, Rohit gave his attendance in a couple of events in the USA. Ashwin, speaking on the players explained why Rohit and Virat are correct in skipping the T20I series ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023.

“From 50 overs to 20 overs, there is a complete switch in mindset. Both [Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma] of them skipping and getting ready for the 50-over World Cup is a good decision and personally, both of them know their cricket very well since they have been playing for such a long time. So, they are using their experience and want to concentrate on the 50-over World Cup, which is exactly the right thing to do,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

India will be heavily dependent on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli who have been match-fit running into the tournament. Questions are around India’s middle-order, where the management has tried out a number of players but none have settled into their roles. The likes of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are in the running to return back into the team having had their respective surgeries during the Indian Premier League 2023.

While India’s batting line-up has not been decided yet, Ashwin said that he was quite confident about the bowling side of things.

“We know the spinners as well. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Axar Patel is a backup we have in the spinning all-rounder category. Siraj, Shami and Bumrah. Bumrah hasn’t played a lot in the last 11-12 months. So, the go-to marquee player for us during this period when it comes to the 50-over format has been Mohammed Siraj. So, I don’t think we can look beyond him. He is an automatic pick,” Ashwin said.