Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed that it will be impossible for the team to drop Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the team. His remarks come after the ENG vs IND series where the Hitman responded to critics and rubbished retirement rumours with a scintillating knock at Lord’s. Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, noted that Ro-Ko enjoyed a massive fan following and that dropping them could result in low audience turnout for matches.
Why India can’t afford to drop Ro-Ko
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that no one could drop Rohit and Virat if the opt to continue playing as they boasted of incredible credentials. The former Indian cricketer said that the two stalwarts had large fan armies, and that the noise would be deafening if they were dropped as fans come in large numbers to the stadium to watch them play. The duo recently played their 400th international game (together) for India in the ENG vs IND 3rd ODI.
“They cannot touch Virat and Rohit if they want to play. It is because of their credentials. Rohit has scored almost 12,000 runs; they cannot touch him. The other thing is that they are batters, and if you touch them, they have an army. People come to see them. If you drop them, it will just break the roof down,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin heaped praise on Rohit Sharma for his knock at Lord’s and said that he would have even scored 180 runs if he was in better form. The Hitman was under immense pressure in the game, especially since reports had claimed that he was informed by the selectors that he wasn’t in the scheme of things any longer. It was even reported that Rohit might announce his retirement on Sunday, prompting the BCCI to issue a clarification and rubbish such claims. Sharma scored 138 runs in the game in the mammoth run-chase, albeit in a losing cause.
“I felt like Rohit was in really good form. The position he is in and the way he batted, it’s not that difficult for him. We have seen him for so many years; there’s nothing left to prove. Whom does he have to prove? It is only about the internal appetite: I want to go to the World Cup, that’s why I need to play like this,” Ashwin added.
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