Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has stressed that there should be transparent communication regarding the future of senior cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying that players of their stature deserve clear answers about their role in India's long-term plans. Speaking on the ongoing discussions surrounding the veteran duo, Ashwin said that if the selectors and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had already decided that Rohit and Kohli would not be part of the squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup, that decision should have been communicated soon after India's Champions Trophy win last year in March.
"I am thinking we are going to South Africa in September and October. Do we need Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? If you ask me, I will say we need that experience. Yashasvi Jaiswal is pushing hard from behind. But if, as a selector, coach, captain or whoever the decision-maker is… if you’ve already decided in your mind that these players are not going to the 2027 World Cup and you don’t want them… then that should have been communicated immediately after the Champions Trophy. I know it’s a double-edged sword," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin further asserted that no cricketer enjoys hearing that they are no longer in a team's future plans. Moreover, Ashwin lauded Rohit and Kohli's decent performances in the recent outings.
“If you go and tell players that you want to move on from them, no player will feel good about it. Even if the selectors or the coach had come to me in Australia and said, “We want to move past you. We’re done with you.” I would also have felt bad. I’d think, “One bad series… is that enough? Every player is allowed one poor series.” That’s how every player would feel. But once it’s done, you can at least say, “Okay… the communication was clear,” Ashwin said.
“Maybe it has already happened in Rohit’s case. Maybe it has happened in Virat’s case. Virat has been excellent. Rohit has been more than decent. So why have we allowed this to drag on until August 2026…when there are only 10-12 months left before the 2027 World Cup in South Africa? Why has it come this far? That’s my only question,” he added.