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'Outstanding Person With Advanced Leadership': Ashwin Hails Rohit Sharma

image-lpkpv4bbRohit Sharma (Twitter)

R. Ashwin was more than understanding of India's decision to leave him out of the playing XI following just one outing of the ICC World Cup 2023 and heaped effusive praise on skipper Rohit Sharma for 'walking the talk' as an aggressive opener throughout the marquee competition.

The premier off-spinner, who played India's campaign opener in Chennai against Australia, then had to warm the bench for the rest of the tournament, where the hosts stormed into the final before losing the ultimate face-off to the Aussie giants in Ahmedabad.

Having previously also been at the wrong end of the equation in terms of India's tactics and sacking, Ashwin could've felt bitter about things. However, the Tamil Nadu veteran understands why the team management couldn't fit him in even on dry pitches once premier fast-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya got ruled out with an ankle injury. 

Especially since India would've had no luxury of a third pace option in a more balanced attack if they had brought in Ashwin as the third tweaker. There were opportunities to turn squares in Lucknow against England and even in the final versus Australia in Ahmedabad, but the team management persisted with the winning combination.

Ashwin Lauds Rohit Sharma Despite Snub During World Cup 

Speaking to fellow Tamil Nadu stalwart S. Badrinath on his YouTube channel, Ashwin emerged as a fan of Rohit's brand of leadership despite him not fitting in the man's plans for ten matches on the bounce during what was essentially his last World Cup appearance. 

"Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person. He understands every single person in the team, he knows what each one of us likes and dislikes. He has a great understanding. He puts in the effort to know each member personally," Ashwin said. 

"He puts in a lot of effort. Forgoes sleep and becomes part of meetings, he first puts in the effort. He takes an effort to understand how to explain tactics to each person. That's an advanced level of leadership in Indian cricket."

The off-spinner, however, only has great things to say about his Indian skipper, who led his troops from the front and selflessly donned the attacking avatar at the top of the order, smashing a whopping 597 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate nudging close to 130.