Ravichandran Ashwin was surprised that Nitish Kumar Reddy was not included in the playing XI for India’s first One-Day International against South Africa on Sunday, November 30 at the JSCA International Sports Complex.
In a high-scoring match, India played two spin-bowling all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Pant, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel, and Reddy remained on the bench for India.
Ashwin had questioned the Indian team management’s decision to keep Reddy out of the playing XI despite the absence of a seasoned seam-bowling all-rounder in Hardik Pandya. The former India spinner feels that if Reddy can’t find a game even when Hardik isn’t in the XI, then selectors might have their options out of the 15-man squad for something similar.
“If we are not able to find a place for Nitish Kumar Reddy in a team that does not have Hardik Pandya, then there is something wrong in the squad selection, seriously. Why was he picked? Because the fact is that he can give what Hardik can give, and can get better over a period of time. But if we can’t find a place for Nitish Kumar Reddy in this particular XI, then the squad selection must be properly reviewed,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin believes that former head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma deserve a lot of credit for India’s new strategy to playing aggressive cricket in white ball formats. According to the 39-year-old, Rohit set the example for his teammates as captain by playing an attacking style of cricket from the start.
“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. 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 India perceived batting. Batting is not average; it is purely strike rate in white-ball cricket.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Enjoy whatever they are doing: Ravichandran Ashwin on Kohli, Rohit
Ravichandran Ashwin also requested cricket enthusiasts to enjoy watching Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s batting instead of scrutinising them in the twilight phase of their careers.
“I will say one thing: however 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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
“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.”
Ravichandran Ashwin
Rohit Sharma produced an incredible half-century (57 off 51 balls) in the opening ODI. However, Kohli stole the stage with a stunning 135 off 120 deliveries. India won the match by 17 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
