‘Dhoni best captain but Rohit…’: Ashwin’s king-sized remark for IND skipper | Cricket

With India suffering another heartbreak at the grandest stage of them all, veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that skipper Rohit Sharma and ex-captain Virat Kohli were fighting back tears after the ICC World Cup hosts were outplayed by the mighty Australian side in the final last month. Despite dominating the entire World Cup, hosts India failed to cross the final hurdle in another ICC tournament.

Team India was banking on the leadership of veteran opener Rohit, who guided the Men In Blue to their first final since the 2011 edition. Hoping to emulate legendary skipper MS Dhoni by ending the long trophy wait for a World Cup title, Rohit made sure India remained unbeaten in its lead-up to the final. India recorded a perfect ten and Rohit’s men also upstaged Australia in the round-robin phase of the ICC World Cup.

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However, India registered a stunning defeat at the hands of the Travis Head-inspired side in the final to extend its trophyless drought in ICC events. Speaking to former cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath on his YouTube channel, Ashwin saluted Rohit, both as captain and batter for India’s remarkable campaign at the ODI World Cup. With 597 runs in 11 games, Rohit ended the World Cup as the second-highest run-getter.

‘Everybody will be telling you that Dhoni is the best captain’

“If you take a look at Indian cricket, everybody will be telling you that MS Dhoni is the best captain. (But), Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person, (and) he understands every single player in the team. He knows the likes and dislikes of each of us and has a great understanding. He puts in the effort to know each player personally,” Ashwin said.

‘Had I been in Rohit’s shoes…’

Ashwin also opened up about why Rohit didn’t pick the senior all-rounder in the Indian playing XI for the World Cup final against Australia. “As far as I playing the final is concerned, the team combination and all is secondary. Firstly, it’s about empathy, (and) I keep stressing it a lot. It’s like standing in someone else’s shoes and looking at things from his/her perspective. Had I been in Rohit’s shoes, I would have thought 100 times about altering the (winning) combination. It was going alright for the team, so why rest a fast bowler for three spinners?,” Ashwin explained.

‘Understood Rohit’s thought process’

Ashwin bowled 10 overs and bagged the wicket of Cameron Green in India’s six-wicket win over Australia in match No.5 of the ICC World Cup. Australia avenged its defeat by silencing the Narendra Modi Stadium as Cummins’ men outclassed the World Cup hosts in the final by 6 wickets. “Honestly, I understood Rohit Sharma’s thought process. Playing the final is big, (and) I was preparing for three days in the lead-up. At the same time, I was also prepared to cheer for the side and run in with energy drinks if I was not given the opportunity. I was mentally prepared for that as well,” Ashwin concluded.