Ravichandran Ashwin recently expressed his sadness at seeing players Sharma and Kohli crying after India’s 2023 World Cup defeat by Australia.
Even though the Men in Blue won each of the 10 games going into the finale, they hit a speed bump on the important day versus the Aussies. After an underwhelming performance at bat scoring only 240, the pitchers fell apart. Despite getting Australia down to 47/3, they faced a painful loss by six wickets.
Ravichandran Ashwin described the circumstances following the final defeat against S Badrinath on his YouTube channel. He did, however, appreciate the leadership dynamic between Virat and Rohit.
“Yes, we felt the pain. Rohit and Virat were crying. Seeing that it felt bad. Anyways, not meant to be. This team was an experienced team. Everybody knew what to do. And then, it was professional. Everybody knew their routines, warm-ups. I think two natural leaders gave the team the space to do these two ( Kohli and Rohit) and created a vibe.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin was really positive in his compliments for team leader Rohit Sharma and the hard work he applies to know his team members.
“If you look at Indian cricket, everybody will tell you MS Dhoni is one of the best captains. Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person. He understands every single person in the team, he knows what each one of us likes and dislikes. He has a great understanding. He puts in the effort to know each member personally.”
“He puts in a lot of effort. Forgoes sleep and becomes part of meetings, he first puts in the effort. He takes an effort to understand how to explain tactics to each person. That’s an advanced level of leadership in Indian cricket.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Another setback in India’s decade-long ICC trophy drought, with the team’s previous victory coming in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
It’s unclear if Rohit, who is 40 years old, would participate in the South African ODI World Cup in 2027.
“What he did at the top set the ball rolling” – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin gave kudos to lead Rohit Sharma. His batting set the rhythm during India’s impressive streak in the 2023 World Cup finals.
At 36, this player quickly rose to be the second top scorer of the tournament. He boasted impressive stats with 597 runs from 11 rounds, yielding an average of 54.27. His strike rate surpassed an impressive 125. Against Afghanistan, Rohit hit a century. This accomplishment positioned him above Sachin Tendulkar, making him the top ODI World Cup centurion with seven victories under his belt.
“Telling everyone to play a brand of cricket is one thing, but doing it and showing it on the field is another thing. I have known Rohit for a long time. What he did at the top set the ball rolling. he gave us the confidence. He said ‘it’s okay if we get out for 150. At least we will set the tone, instill fear’. I think all 11 in the team had a great World Cup.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
In the 2023 World Cup, Team India shined. Virat Kohli stood tall with the highest runs, 765 total. Likewise, Mohammed Shami excelled as the top wicket-taker, securing 24 wickets.
The Men in Blue are presently leading the five-match T20I series against Australia 2-1, with the concluding match on Friday, December 1 at Raipur.