India's white-ball side has done exceptionally well in recent years.
Legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that India's white-ball rise began long before the current head coach Gautam Gambhir assumed charge.
Ashwin believes the aggressive template set by Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid is now benefiting a new generation under Gambhir.
While India’s Test performance has nosedived with Gambhir at the helm, the white-ball side has done exceptionally well, winning Champions Trophy and Asia Cup this year in addition to strong win-loss records.
According to Ashwin, the roots of India’s current aggression trace straight back to the Rohit-Dravid era, because the captain–coach duo didn’t just talk about intent, but backed it up with performance.
“Rohit as a captain has always been laying his stamp by showing the team what he wants from it. The transitional batting that India has gone through in T20 cricket and ODI cricket — the way we bat fast — a lot of credit for that goes to Rohit and Rahul bhai,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“They showed the way Rahul bhai said this is how we have to play and Rohit showed the way. Eventually it has changed how Indians perceive batting. Batting is not average; it is purely strike rate in white-ball cricket,” he added.
Ashwin highlighted that the Indian team adopted a proactive batting plan under Rohit and Dravid after disappointing ICC results.
The approach was visible during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, and again during the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in the Caribbean and USA.
Ashwin also reminded fans that while the new generation is blossoming in white-ball cricket, seasoned campaigners like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are still here and they deserve to be celebrated.
"I will say one thing, how much time we have to watch and enjoy Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bat, please let’s do it because once they are done, we could hear talks like ‘oh, what a player he was! Please bring him back’. That doesn’t cut ice for me."
"For however long they play, let us celebrate them as long as they are playing. As I said, life moves on very fast. Time does not wait for anyone. It is very important that we realise that the time is less. So it is better that we enjoy whatever they are doing," Ashwin remarked.