‘We need that experience’ – Ashwin on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for 2027 World Cup

R Ashwin on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retirement talks (Source: BCCI on X/rashwin99 on IG)

Former India all-rounder R Ashwin has questioned the timing of the news surrounding Rohit Sharma‘s ODI future ahead of the series decider against England at Lord’s. The retirement saga has gone through multiple twists and turns over the last few days, with uncertainty cast over the future of the player, with the overbearing 2027 Cricket World Cup being the goal for the current cycle. The BCCI eventually nipped the bud on the speculations, clarifying that the veteran batter was still present in the team’s plans.

Ashwin has affirmed that the team still needs Rohit and Virat Kohli for their experience and further iterated the need for clear communication with the players in that situation, without leaving uncertainty and ambiguity over the futures of said players. He referred to his own retirement, a decision which was made when he received clear communication from the team management.

“I am thinking we are going to South Africa in September and October. Do we need Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? If you ask me, I will say we need that experience,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“I know Yashasvi Jaiswal is pushing hard from behind, but if you ever felt as a selector, coach or captain that we don’t want these players in the 2027 World Cup, then you could have communicated that at the end of the Champions Trophy. If you go to a player and tell him that we want to move on from you, no player will like that,” he added.

Ashwin cited an example of how his own Test retirement came as a result of the think tank approaching him, to which he obliged.

“Even when the coach came and communicated with me in Australia that they wanted to look past me, I accepted it. One bad series can happen to any player, but you have to communicate with the player,” the former India cricketer, who played his last international match in December 2024 elaborated further.

Rohit has had a torrid time with the bat in the England series. He has scored just 37 runs in two innings, with an 11 in the first game and a laborious 47-ball 26 in the second. He has scored 180 runs in his last five innings, averaging 36, with a highest score of 79.

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