Team India had a tough time on the recent Test tour of Australia. They conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 for the first time since 2014-15.
Amid the debacle, the futures of senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have come under the scanner. Rumours are rife that the trio isn’t in the selectors’ scheme of things for the next WTC cycle, beginning with the tour of England in June.
Meanwhile, legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who called time on his international career midway through the tour Down Under last month, has refrained from speculating on the retirement plans of his former teammates, highlighting the individuality of such decisions.
"It's very difficult to reply on the issue. I have just retired. I know them for a long time. I can't pass judgment on what Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, or Ravindra Jadeja are thinking. Every individual has their own thinking. They only know what to do and what not to do," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also addressed the fan wars on social media surrounding players' performances and retirement talks, calling it ‘very toxic’.
"Fan wars on social media are becoming very toxic. I have always said, let's discuss cricket as cricket and not like the brand value of a player," he remarked.
Ashwin came up with a personal analogy to share his perspective. "Take for example, as a cricket fan, I used to be a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. That doesn't mean I will talk poorly of Rahul Dravid. I like Rahul Dravid too, but I liked Sachin very much. And I consider Anil bhai (Anil Kumble) as a role model. I looked up to Harbhajan Singh too. Liking one player more doesn't mean you go on abusing others. These fan wars are a new trend," he said.
Rohit and Kohli have come under the scanner for their subpar performances in the BGT 2024-25. Rohit was all over the place in the marquee series, managing just 31 runs in five innings at an abysmal average of 6.20 -- the lowest by a touring captain on Australian soil.
While Kohli began the marquee series with a second innings hundred (100*) at Perth, he managed to amass only 90 runs in his other eight innings combined.
Ashwin defended the duo, emphasizing the challenging nature of the series. "Rohit has also said, ‘Today I am not scoring, but it doesn't mean I won't score tomorrow.' For Virat too, he scored a hundred in Perth. People should understand that it was a low-scoring series. It created some record of the lowest overs bowled in a five-match series in many years. So, it means batting was difficult," he explained.
Ashwin also pointed out the difference between the fast-paced results of T20 leagues like the IPL and the hard grind of Test cricket. "Fans want instant results after watching IPL because it comes pretty fast in T20 leagues. But that's not the case in Test cricket," he concluded.
