Rohit Sharma an underachiever when compared to Virat Kohli- Ravichandran Ashwin's bombshell
Published - 13 May 2025, 02:03 PM | Updated - 13 May 2025, 03:36 PM
Former Indian player Ravichandran Ashwin recently talked about his former teammates Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after two greats of the game announced sudden retirement from the red-ball format.
In his YouTube channel, Ashwin praised both players as they are carrying the Indian team on their shoulders and have reached great heights in every format of the game.
Ashwin also got a bit emotional as he referred to how much you would be a great player, one day every player has to retire, just like Sachin Tendulkar, and that’s how the game progresses in future.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s relationship with Virat and Rohit
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the luckiest Indian players who got the chance to play under both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in every format of the game.
The test specialist was the main reason when skipper Kohli made a unique record of winning 11-Test series on a trot at home.
Rohit recalled Ashwin in the ODI setup after Ashwin was removed from the ODIS. He played the first game against Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 under Rohit Sharma.
Jitna Virat Kohli ka hua, utna Rohit Sharma ka bhi ho sakta … (What Virat achieved, Rohit could have done too),” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Rohit played only 67 Test matches, while Kohli played 123 Test matches. Ashwin pointed out that Rohit would also complete 100 Test matches if he hadn’t sustained an ankle injury on his Test debut.
Ravichandran Ashwin remarks on Rohit and Kohli's Test retirements
Ravichandran Ashwin praised both players as the duo brings their unique things to the ground. Kohli had an unmatched energy and aggression, while Rohit was calm and steady on the field with his unique Hindi slang.
According to Ashwin, Team India will definitely feel the absence of two greats of the game in the red-ball format. The new era will bring new challenges for the Indian team without Rohit and Kohli's presence in the dressing room.
Indian team will look for the young faces after two OGs retirement from the long format. The England tour will kick start the India's campaign for the new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
Some key young players who will be in contention after RO-KO retirement will be Sai Sudarshan, Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan.
RO-KO retire from red-ball format
The magical duo of Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket on May 7 and May 12, respectively. Both had tough series against New Zealand and Australia in their last terms in the white jersey.
Rohit and Kohli also retired from T20IS at the same time after the T20I World Cup 2024, and now within a span of five days.
Also read: Watch: Virat Kohli visits Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan with Anushka Sharma after Test retirement
