Not Jasprit Bumrah or Ravichandran Ashwin!! Rohit Sharma named the Indian bowler who has gone next level

Indian captain Rohit Sharma lauded Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj ahead of the upcoming first Test against England. Rohit Sharma emphasized the positive influence that Ravichandran Ashwin brings to the team every time he steps onto the field.

The first Test of the five-match series between India and England is set to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, starting on January 25. The Indian team will be hoping to continue their dominance in the longer format of the game at home.

Ravichandran Ashwin And Mohammed Siraj Have Been Important – Rohit Sharma

In the pre-match press conference, Rohit Sharma acknowledged the significance of Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj to the team. Rohit emphasized that both players have played crucial roles and continue to impress the team with their performances.

“Ashwin and Siraj have been important players for us. Siraj has come through the ranks in the last two years, he has taken his game to another level. Ashwin is class, every time he takes the field he impresses all of us,” Rohit said at the pre-match press conference.

Ravichandran Ashwin is currently holding the top spot in the ICC Test bowler rankings. The 37-year-old spinner has an impressive track record against England in red-ball cricket. He secured 88 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 28.59, with a best figure of 6/55.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj picked up 21 wickets in seven Test matches at a decent average of 31.52. Overall, the pacer bagged 68 wickets in 23 matches for India in red-ball cricket. He might share a new ball with Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming series against England.

We’ll Look To Play Our Cricket – Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma stressed the team’s focus on playing their brand of cricket and not getting distracted by the opposition’s approach. Rohit said that the team management would pick either KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel as the wicketkeeper-batter in the series opener.

“We’ll look to play our cricket. I’m not interested in looking at how the opposition is going to play and all of that. For us, we must look into our cricket. Focus on what we need to do as a team and then take it from there,” Rohit further stated.

“Yeah, obviously those are the two keepers [Bharat and Jurel] in the squad. We’ll see and assess the performance. We are obviously looking at the bigger picture. We want to give as many games as possible to the individual. But we’ll assess after every game what happens and what is right for the team. Whatever is right for the team will do the necessary things.”

England has announced its playing XI for the first Test against India. The team management opted for a spin-heavy lineup, omitting veteran pacer James Anderson. Young spinner Tom Hartley will make his Test debut for England in the upcoming Test match.

Also read: “I don’t sit in the VISA office..”- Rohit Sharma on Shoaib Bashir controversy