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India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has defended skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's decision to skip the T20I series ahead of the all-important ODI World Cup 2023. Rohit and Kohli have not played a single T20I since India’s exit from T20 World Cup 2022 after the loss to champions England in the semi-final. Sharma and Kohli also did not get enough game time in the ODI series either with the latter returning to India.
"From 50 overs to 20 overs, there is a complete switch in mindset. Both [Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma] of them skipping and getting ready for the 50-over World Cup is a good decision and personally, both of them know their cricket very well since they have been playing for such a long time. So, they are using their experience and want to concentrate on the 50-over World Cup, which is exactly the right thing to do," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
India's hopes of winning the ODI World Cup after 12 years will depend heavily on performances from Sharma and Kohli. Meanwhile, there are concerns over India’s unsettled middle order with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer yet to be announced as fully fit.
But Ashwin is content with India's bowling unit with Jasprit Bumrah returning to the fold with the T20I series against Ireland.
"We know the spinners as well. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Axar Patel is a backup we have in the spinning all-rounder category. Siraj, Shami and Bumrah. Bumrah hasn't played a lot in the last 11-12 months. So, the go-to marquee player for us during this period when it comes to the 50-over format has been Mohammed Siraj. So, I don't think we can look beyond him. He is an automatic pick," the 36-year-old said.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce India’s squad for Asia Cup 2023. India will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on September 2.
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