'I'm MVP, not Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli': Ravichandran Ashwin fires shots at batting greats

Former India National Cricket Team all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin fired shots at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for taking all the limelight during his playing days. He said that he always wanted to change the narrative of people who say he played under the shadow of batters.

Ravichandran Ashwin arguably is one of the biggest match-winners that the India National Cricket Team produced. The all-rounder single-handedly won many games for the team and helped them reach great heights, especially in the longest format of the game.

Ravichandran Ashwin retired as the legend of the game

Ravichandran Ashwin retired as the legend of the game, as his impact on the game and Indian cricket was immense. The all-rounder held a very high stature in the game, but it's fair to say that he didn't have the same recognition and support as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

With the kind of contributions Ravichandran Ashwin made for the India National Cricket Team, it's fair to say that had he achieved this in some other country; he would've been considered bigger than the game. But being in India, where batters usually get more support, Ashwin always was under the shadow of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and others.

People on the outside who believe that everyone plays a supporting cast are extremely wrong - Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin, while mentioning Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, said that he always wanted to change the narrative of the people who think other players play as support cast to two batters. Speaking on Sky Sports Podcast, he explained;

"A lot of people talk about... When they talk about Indian cricket, that's one thing that I want to change over the years. They talk about Virat Kohli. They've been talking about Rohit a lot over the years. When I grew up, I spoke a lot about Sachin. I spoke about a lot of other superstars and celebrities.

"But one message I would leave, wanna leave this podcast or to everybody, and I wanted to consistently change, is not the fact that these are not glorious cricketers, but people on the outside who believe that everyone plays a supporting cast are extremely wrong."

I am the MVP and it's not Rohit, Virat Kohli - Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin mentioned that every player has his journey and he claimed that he is MVP in the life of his parents and not Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. He said that cricket is the most important thing and he is the MVP. He elaborated:

"Because this is a sport and everybody's journey. Because MVP in my life, for my dad or my mom, I am the MVP and it's not Rohit, Virat or anyone else on the outside. Likewise, everybody's journey is unique and they are the protagonist in their journey.

"So it's very important to recognize that and for me, I have always been my MVP. And that's why I never shudder to give my thoughts away or speak about what I feel in my mind. Because cricket is the most important thing and I am the MVP of my cricket."

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