R Ashwin made comeback into Indian T20I team after almost four years.
Team India’s white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma said that senior Indian off-spinner R Ashwin will be a crucial part of the team's limited-overs setup going forward.
As the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal came into India’s limited-overs setup post the 2017 Champions Trophy debacle, R Ashwin was relegated to being a Test specialist.
The senior Indian off-spinner, after not playing a T20I game for almost 4 years, came back into the Indian T20I side during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and impressed everyone with his skills, and finished the tournament as the third-highest wicket-taker for his side with 6 wickets to his name from 3 matches.
He then impressed everyone in the home T20I series against New Zealand, which India won 3-0, as he provided his team with crucial breakthroughs to make sure that his side doesn’t lose momentum.
Rohit Sharma, while speaking to veteran journalist Boria Majumdar on ‘Backstage with Boria’, lauded ‘all-rounder bowler’ R Ashwin, saying the off-spinner gives flexibility and can bowl in any situation.
“Ashwin will give you that flexibility, you can use him in the powerplay or the middle over, so having a bowler like that – an all-rounder bowler I’d like to call – who can bowl anytime and anywhere in whatever situation, is always important,” Rohit Sharma said.
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Talking about R Ashwin’s ability to bowl at any stage of the match, Rohit Sharma said that the senior off-spinner will be a great addition to the team going forward.
“You don’t want one-dimensional bowlers where you know he can only bowl outside powerplay, he cannot bowl in the death, can only bowl to right-handers, can only bowl to left-handers.
“The more options you have with bowlers the better, that’s what I felt. I thought he’d be a great addition, and I think he’s here to stay. He’s definitely here to stay,” he said.
On the other hand in Test cricket, R Ashwin recently surpassed Harbhajan Singh to become the third-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 427 wickets to his name, just behind Kapil Dev (434) and Anil Kumble (619).
Both R Ashwin and Rohit Sharma will next be seen in action when India will tour South Africa starting 26th December.
(Backstage with Boria inputs)