NEW DELHI: Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently announced his retirement midway through the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
, has addressed the ongoing debates surrounding the futures of senior players like captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ash ki Baat, Ashwin refrained from speculating on the retirement plans of his former teammates, emphasising the individuality of such decisions.
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"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.
Ashwin strongly criticised the growing toxicity of fan wars on social media surrounding players' performances and retirement talks. "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.
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Sharing his perspective as a cricket fan, Ashwin drew a personal analogy. "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.
Commenting on the recent criticism of Rohit and Kohli's form in the Test series, Ashwin defended the duo, pointing to the challenging nature of the series.
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"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 highlighted the contrast between the fast-paced results of T20 leagues like the IPL and the patient 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.
Ashwin's remarks shed light on the pressure senior players face and his own nuanced understanding of cricket.
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