
New Delhi: Star India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday slammed BCCIs over the handling of Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma ODI drama questioning the boards lack of communication and sensitivity. With uncertainty continuing over Kohli and Rohits roles in Indias 2027 ODI World Cup campaign chief selector Ajit Agarkar remained non-committal. Ashwin wondered why the selectors failed to outline their roadmap for the 2027 edition when the duo retired from T20Is following the 2024 T20 World Cup. Ashwin avoided commenting on Kohli-Rohits ODI future Speaking on his YouTube channel Ashwin avoided commenting on whether the speculations surrounding Kohlis and Rohits future or the selection committees decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain was right or wrong. Instead he reflected on the importance of maintaining a clear communication with players nearing the end of their careers R Ashwin who announced his retirement from international cricket last December further pointed out that Indian cricket doesnt have a proper transition plan. He stated that there is little communication or knowledge sharing between senior players like Kohli and Rohit and the younger generation resulting in a lack of clarity on how to manage pressure injuries and leadership transitions effectively. On one side is selection on the other side is Kohli and Rohit. These are two sides of the same coin. Upon examining the selection it is clear that the selectors are moving forward. However in this process they have two players who are nearing the end of their careers. However one thing I would like to mention is that you need to improve the way you handle such players. It is very easy to say that they have grown old and they should retire. One of the reasons we feel this way is that we see many young players in the IPL performing well and we believe they can replace these experienced players. However during this process one thing we often overlook is solid communication and knowledge transfer. I request that this be addressed in the future he said. Knowledge transfer or KT doesnt mean Kohli and Rohit will be teaching Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma new shots; rather it will show them how to handle pressure situations and deal with injuries. The way Kohli and Rohit batted in the 2023 ODI World Cup they have nothing to prove but does the KT have any space? There is actually no space for KT in Indian cricket because there is no transition phase. Rahul Dravid was a coach at one time then Gautam Gambhir took over. We did not have any template that after Dravid Gambhir would be the coach so taking a KT from Dravid was not possible. And after Gambhir for whom will the KT go? If there is no roadmap from the management side this cannot happen from the players side. Ashwin said Rohit-Kohli shouldve been informed of roadmap post T20I retirement Although Ashwin didnt confirm whether Rohit and Kohli were informed about the selectors plans ahead of the upcoming ODI series against Australia for which both were included he believed that doing so would have been inappropriate. According to him the ideal time to communicate the roadmap was right after the duo announced their T20I retirement following Indias World Cup victory over South Africa in Barbados last year. I really hope the conversation has already taken place with Kohli and Rohit. But if it happened now why didnt it happen during their retirement from T20Is in the World Cup last year? Had they been told then they would have said Okay boss do we want to play because this is what the team wants to take a direction and this is what the choices are? But this leaves a lot of uninformed space which leads to speculations. And there shouldnt be speculations. It should have been a straight conversation. If the communication is not clear and transparent and if it is not done with a forward-looking vision it leaves players in a very vulnerable position he said. BCCI should have shown greater respect to Kohli-Rohit Ashwin concluded by stating that considering Kohli and Rohits immense contribution to Indian cricket the BCCI should have shown greater respect and clarity. He stressed that sensitivity and thoughtful management were crucial to ensure their smooth involvement in the lead-up to the World Cup. Given the magnitude of their contribution to Indian cricket there was a need for communication not only to them but also to everyone explaining how we communicated and what it entails. There are still two years until the World Cup and if they do make it I will take my hat off to both of them because that would require immense commitment as they wont get much cricket beyond the IPL. For them to achieve it they need that opportunity and they have deserved that respect. So that sensitivity was required. Story Highlight Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday slammed BCCIs over the handling of Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma ODI drama questioning the boards lack of communication and sensitivity Ashwin wondered why the selectors failed to outline their roadmap for the 2027 edition when the duo retired from T20Is following the 2024 T20 World Cup. Ashwin avoided commenting on whether the speculations surrounding Kohlis and Rohits future or the selection committees decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain Ashwin said the ideal time to communicate the roadmap was right after the duo announced their T20I retirement following Indias World Cup victory over South Africa in Barbados last year.
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