Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken about the ongoing discussions about the future of senior cricketers like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. Ravichandran Ashwin also slammed the toxic nature of fan wars on social media, urging people to focus on discussions about cricket.
The 38-year-old cricketer surprised the cricket world by announcing his retirement from international cricket after the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test at The Gabba in Brisbane ended in a draw. His mid-series withdrawal sparked rumors of potential trouble in the Indian camp.
It is very difficult to answer the question – Ravichandran Ashwin
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin said retirement decisions are personal and he cannot speculate on what others might think.
“It is very difficult to answer this question. I have just retired. I have known them for a long time. I cannot judge what Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or Ravindra Jadeja are thinking. Each individual has his own thinking. They only know what to do and what not to,” said Ashwin.
Fan wars on social media are getting very toxic – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin made a personal analogy while criticizing the growing toxicity of fan wars on social media. Ashwin said he is a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar but that doesn't mean he doesn't like Rahul Dravid or any other player. He added that liking one player more does not justify abusing others.
“Fan wars on social media are becoming very toxic. We have always said, let's discuss cricket as cricket and not as the brand value of a player,” he remarked.
“Take for example as a cricket fan, I was a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. That doesn't mean I'm going to talk bad about Rahul Dravid. I like Rahul Dravid too but I really liked Sachin. And I consider Anil bhai (Anil Kumble) as a role model and I admired Harbhajan Singh. These fan wars are a new trend,” he said.
It means the batting was difficult – Ravichandran Ashwin
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has defended Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid recent criticism of their Test form. He pointed out that Rohit acknowledged his struggles but remained hopeful for future performances. Ashwin reminded people of Virat's century during the series opener in Perth.
“Rohit also said, 'I'm not scoring today, but that doesn't mean I won't score tomorrow.' And for Virat, he scored a hundred in Perth. People should understand that it was a low-scoring series. “, he explained.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's performances are under scrutiny following poor results in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Rohit missed the match due to the birth of his second child, but failed to make an impact in the next three Tests before sitting out the final Test match in Sydney.
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