ICC World Cup: "Getting Ready For The 50-Over World Cup" - Ravichandran Ashwin On Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Skipping T20I Matches

Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin backed veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s decision to skip T20I matches ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023. Ravichandran Ashwin said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma wanted to concentrate on the 50-over World Cup.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last played for India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final clash against England. The batting duo missed five consecutive T20I series over this period. Recently, Rohit revealed that they will be available for the selection for next year’s T20 World Cup.

The Right Thing To Do – Ravichandran Ashwin

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin opened up about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli‘s absence in the current India T20I set-up.

“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,” Ashwin said.

“So, they are using their experience and want to concentrate on the 50-over World Cup, which is exactly the right thing to do,” he added.

Rohit and Virat also didn’t take part in the last two ODIs of the recently concluded three-match series against the West Indies. Notably, they didn’t bat at their regular positions in the line-up to give chances to the youngsters.

Mohammed Siraj Is An Automatic Pick – Ravichandran Ashwin

The 36-year-old picked the Indian team’s bowling attack for the World Cup, mentioning that Mohammed Siraj will be a first-choice seamer in the line-up.

“We know the spinners as well. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Axar Patel is a backup we have in the spinning all-rounder category,” he further added.

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.”

Mohammad Shami Will Be Back – Ravichandran Ashwin

The veteran spinner stated that Mohammed Shami deserved a break from the recent West Indies tour to keep him fresh for the upcoming multinational tournament at home later this year.

“Mohammed Shami got a break during the West Indies series. It was as if a much-needed break for him to get him ready for the marquee event in World Cup. So, Mohammad Shami will be back,” he concluded.

Mohammed Shami last played for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. He will return to the national team for the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup, which is set to begin on August 30.

Also read: Asia Cup 2023: Ravichandran Ashwin Takes A Massive Dig At Critics Trolling Him For Bowling On Spin-Friendly Pitches