Despite the initial struggles in the recently concluded England ODI series, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli came back strongly in the final ODI even though the match ended in a losing cause. Speaking about the duo's position in the team, Ashwin feels that it is impossible for the management to drop the duo.
Ash highlights their immense fan following and their contributions to international cricket in the last two decades. While speaking on his YouTube channel, he also shared light on the contradiction of the situation in case bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami.
Ash somehow feels that it is unfair that bowlers can be dropped despite contributions, unlike popular batters. Ashwin said,
"No one will be able to touch Virat or Rohit if they want to continue playing because both have incredible credentials. Rohit has more than 12,000 international runs, and both of them have consistently delivered for India. They are batters, and they have massive fan armies. People come to the stadiums to watch them. If you drop either of them, the noise will be deafening."
He added,
"If Shami isn’t picked, or Siraj isn’t picked, or Bhuvneshwar isn’t picked, maybe 10 people will ask questions, then 10,000 at most. But it won’t create the same uproar or difference. If bowlers also started receiving that kind of support, they too would become undroppable. But the reality is that dropping Virat or Rohit is almost impossible."
Notably, Siraj played his last international game this year against Afghanistan—a Test match in Mullanpur on June 6. Shami, meanwhile, was last seen in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Read also: Why Australia's Two Rival All-Rounders Could Become its Biggest Test Strength
Kohli, Rohit: Numbers Behind Greatness
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have defined an era of Indian cricket with a combined tally of more than 48,000 international runs and numerous match-winning performances. Kohli leads with 28,285 international runs and 85 centuries, while Rohit has amassed 20,289 runs and 50 hundreds. Both retired from T20Is after India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph and stepped away from Test cricket in 2025, continuing only in ODIs. Kohli's consistency and chasing prowess, along with Rohit's explosive batting and record-breaking achievements, have earned them legendary status in world cricket and multiple prestigious national sporting honours.
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