When Nitish Kumar Reddy was left out of the starting lineup for the first One-Day International (ODI) between South Africa and India on Sunday, November 30 at the JSCA International Sports Complex, Ashwin was taken aback.
In the high-scoring match, India used two spin-bowling all-rounders, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. The four players that had to observe the action from the sidelines were Reddy, Rishabh Pant, Tilak Varma, and Dhruv Jurel.
Even without senior seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Ashwin questioned the Indian team’s management for keeping Reddy out of the starting lineup. The former India spinner believes that the selectors may have chosen someone else for the 15-man squad if Reddy is unable to get a game even when Hardik is not in the lineup.
“There is definitely a problem with the squad selection if we can’t find a spot for Nitish Kumar Reddy in a squad without Hardik Pandya. For what reason was he chosen? Because the truth is that he can improve with time and deliver what Hardik can give. However, the squad selection needs to be thoroughly examined if we are unable to find a spot for Nitish Kumar Reddy in this specific XI,” Ashwin stated on his YouTube account.
Ashwin believes that India’s new strategy of playing aggressive cricket in white-ball formats is mostly due to former head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma. The 39-year-old claimed that by playing an aggressive style of cricket right away as captain, Rohit led by example for his teammates.
“As a captain, Rohit has always made his mark by demonstrating to the team what he expects of them. Rohit and Rahul bhai deserve a great deal of credit for the transitional batting that India has experienced in T20 and ODI cricket—the way we bat quickly. They led the way. When Rahul bhai stated, “This is how we have to play,” Rohit prepared the way and led the way, which ultimately altered India’s perception of batting. In white-ball cricket, batting is primarily about strike rate, not average,” he continued.
Have fun with whatever they’re doing: R Ashwin on Rohit and Kohli
Additionally, Ashwin asked cricket fans to enjoy watching Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bat rather than criticising them when their careers come to an end.
“I’ll say this: let’s spend as much time as possible watching and enjoying Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bat because, after they’re done, we might hear remarks like, ‘Oh, what a player he was! Bring him back, please. I don’t find that amusing,” Ashwin remarked.
“Let’s enjoy them while they’re playing, for however long they do. Life, as I mentioned, goes by quickly. Time doesn’t wait for anyone. Realising that we are running out of time is crucial. Therefore, it is preferable that we take pleasure in whatever they are doing,” he continued.
In the first ODI, Rohit produced an incredible half-century (57 off 51 balls). But Kohli’s outstanding 135 off 120 deliveries stole the spotlight. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after winning the game by 17 runs.
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