Rohit Sharma came out in support of Ravichandran Ashwin

India’s captain came in defense of Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin after the bowler faced criticism for his performance in the India vs England test series. Ravichandran Ashwin finished as the most successful bowler of the series as the right-arm off-spinner scalped 26 wickets in the five-match series, claiming fifers in the fourth and fifth test matches despite his impressive bowling stats. He faced much criticism for not being his best in the series as the bowler failed to leave an impact with his bowling in the first three tests, which is not the truth as Ashwin not only became the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to pick 500 test wickets moreover he surpassed Anil Kumble in terms of most number of fifers in the tests.

The test series also showed Ravichandran Ashwin’s dedication to cricket, as the bowler had to leave the team to take care of his mother, who was not doing well. Captain Rohit Sharma helped him in that situation. After his mother’s condition improved, he returned to his team to play the remaining two test matches. A few players have that much dedication to the team and the game. Speaking about the pressure Ravichandran Ashwin went through and still gave the results, he highlighted the immense contribution of the bowler.

Ravi Ash… his career speaks for himself man. Look at the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards that he has won. Tells you clearly that he has been a match-winner for Team India. Whenever we play in India, this guy puts his hand up all the time. And to me, it doesn’t matter whether you play in or outside India. Imagine the amount of pressure he has to go through,”
Rohit Sharma said on his Instagram handle Team RO

A few off days can come in every player’s life, but that should be different from the point of assessment of the player and highlighting the human aspect of a player, Rohit said.

If there is an inning where he has not taken wickets, people start talking ‘Oh, he is not bowling well. This is happening, that is happening. Arre bhai… insaan hai (Boss, he is human). At the end of the day, he is trying his best. But imagine, for him, to come out on top every time being in this situation, and to do it and keep delivering series after series says a lot about what kind of a performer he is,”
He added