Legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons that former captain Rohit Sharma and ex-head coach Rahul Dravid played a crucial role in India's aggressive batting approach, which has brought a lot of success.
Ashwin credits Rohit, Rahul
Ashwin, who announced his international retirement last year in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, said that the duo not only preached a more attacking style but also led by example, triggering a shift in India's approach in T20Is and ODIs.
"Rohit as a captain has always been laying his stamp by showing the team what he wants from it. The transitional batting that India has gone through in T20 cricket and ODI cricket --the way we bat fast -- a lot of credit for that goes to Rohit and Rahul bhai," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat.'
"They showed the way, Rahul bhai said this is how we have to play and Rohit showed the way..paved the way and eventually it has changed the way how Indian perceived batting. Batting is not average it is purely strike rate in white ball cricket," he added.
Notably, under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, India started playing a more aggressive and proactive style after a few disappointing ICC tournaments. This new approach was clear during the 2023 ODI World Cup at home, where India dominated the league stage with attacking cricket, and later in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which they won the silverware at the Caribbean and the USA.
Ashwin on Rohit, Virat retirement
With senior players Rohit and Virat Kohli now playing only ODIs, having stepped away from Tests and T20Is, Ravichandran Ashwin asked fans to cherish the remaining moments of their international careers.
"I will say one thing, how much time we have to watch and enjoy Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bat, please let’s do it because once they are done, we could hear talks like ‘oh, what a player he was! Please bring him back’. That doesn’t cut ice for me.
"For however long they play, let us celebrate them as long as they are playing. As I said, life moves on very fast. Time does not wait for anyone. It is very important that we realise that the time is less. So it is better that we enjoy whatever they are doing,"
Rohit and Virat flexed their form in the first ODI against South Africa, scoring a half-century and a ton respectively, which helped India to seal a 17-run win in the series opener. The duo will now be seen in action in the second ODI, which will take place on December 3 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Raipur.