In a series of surprising events, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul must be dealing with insecurity, as they are not sure if they will continue in the playing XI. As an outcome, the aforementioned trio seems to bat with tentativeness.
Ravichandran Ashwin makes big claim
During India's 27-run loss against England in the third and final ODI, Rohit emerged as a big positive for the Men in Blue with recording a stunning knock of 138 runs and kept the hopes of a successful run-chase alive before losing his wicket off Jacob Bethell's bowling.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Donald Trump steals spotlight during Spain's FIFA World Cup trophy celebration
ALSO READ: Ruturaj Gaikwad named West Zone captain for Duleep Trophy 2026
While reacting to Rohit Sharma's wonderful knock, the former India spinner explained how the 39-year-old batter picked up form in the third and final ODI of the series. While continuing, Ashwin claimed that Rohit could have won the game for India if he had been going through a good mindset, as a lot of rumors were going about his last international outing.
"This is a phenomenal knock. The moment Rohit hit that strong pull shot against Josh Tongue, I knew his innings was set. I felt slightly that this was probably him being on his comeback path from injury. If he were in a slightly better state, if he were even a little more confident, he could have made 180 and won the match for the team," said Ashwin.
While concluding, Ashwin noted an interesting observation regarding the batting approach of Rohit, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. The former India spinner believes that the aforementioned trio feels a bit insecure while batting, as their places are not completely sealed in the lineup.
"I felt like Rohit was in really good form, really good form. But I’ll tell you two things: the wicket was tricky. [Then,] KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rohit — when all of them were playing, I felt a bit of tentativeness. You know tentativeness, right?"
Great outing for Rohit and Virat
Fortunately, the duo of Rohit and Virat enjoyed a great outing with the bat at Lord's while chasing a mammoth target of 388 runs in the second innings. Rohit Sharma contributed a stunning 71 off 48 balls, while Virat Kohli added 38 off 38 balls as their duo stitched a brilliant partnership of 113 runs for the second wicket in just 86 deliveries. The partnership put India at the driving seat before England staged an amazing comeback to secure the win and the series.
Individually, Rohit managed to amass 138 runs from 110 deliveries, including 117 fours and five sixes, while Kohli scored 74 runs off 60 balls, smashing four boundaries and three maximums.