Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed sympathy for Indian cricket fans who have called for a possible return of Virat Kohli to Test cricket, but has also said that in such matters, the player’s wishes are final and Virat Kohli may have taken this decision after some serious thought and there is little chance of it being reversed.
Rumors of Virat Kohli’s return surfaced before the first ODI in Ranchi; Hence, fans were not only impressed with his recent century but also really wanted him to return to improve India’s batting standards in the longest format of the game.
However, after India failed to qualify for the WTC final in 2025, Virat Kohli, along with key Indian names Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, walked away from Test cricket, ending India’s golden era of Test dominance.
Ravichandran Ashwin dashes fans’ hopes of Virat Kohli’s comeback.
Virat Kohli himself had dismissed the idea of a possible comeback to Test cricket when Harsha Bhogle asked him the same question after his century in Ranchi. Now, Ravichandran Ashwin has supported Kohli and claimed that when such a decision is taken, it is done with some serious thinking, and should not be backed out under any circumstances.
“I am sure that when a player like Virat retired from Tests, it was very clear that he wanted to retire. No one takes a spontaneous decision. As fans, we all want to see Virat Kohli. The way he batted yesterday, fans will feel that he is still in good shape and why are we not getting to see that in Tests?”
R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “He has already taken his decision in Test cricket. So let’s make one thing very clear that the decision has already been taken, so constantly reconsidering it is not the right way.”
On the future of RO-KO, Ashwin said, “It is very important that we realize that time is short.”
Ever since India failed to qualify for the 2023–25 ICC World Test Championship final, which would have been their third entry into the final of the tournament, several changes have been made to the Indian side.
However, nothing has gone in India’s favor since the change, as despite the series being drawn in England, India suffered defeats several times, such as a 600+ score at Old Trafford and a humiliating defeat at Lord’s. Such humiliation was further compounded when once again they were eliminated by the visiting team at home.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out how the team has already started making changes, and the return of any former player will definitely affect the team dynamics as well as be detrimental from the team’s point of view.
Ashwin further said, “A lot of players have already come and the team has already gone through a period of change. It is about moving forward. I will say one thing, whatever days we have left to enjoy watching Rohit and Virat, please do so. Celebrate them while they are playing. It is very important that we realize that time is short.”
Ravichandran Ashwin’s encouragement to Harshit Rana
Virat Kohli may have grabbed most of the headlines, but true cricket lovers are thrilled with Harshit Rana’s performance as he has already received a lot of praise from stand-in captain KL Rahul.
Now, one of his former critics, whose comments once sparked major controversy, has taken his side and praised him wholeheartedly. Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rana for getting the ball moving under lights and called it one of his major encouragements to both the player and the team.
Ravichandran Ashwin said, “Harshit Rana’s spell was decisive. He took advantage of the drop in temperature. The most special thing about his spell was that he always swung the ball for the right-handed batsman, but yesterday, with the new ball, he was showing outswing for the right-handed batsman and inswing for the left-handed batsman. This is very encouraging not only from Harshit Rana’s side, but also from the Indian team’s side.”
Harshit Rana took three important wickets in the innings, two of which came in the very first over of his spell. He dismissed South African left-handers Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock and then brought India back into the game by dismissing dangerous-looking Dewald Brevis.
He said, “A player is showing improvement, he is showing that he is developing skills, not just hitting the deck hard, but doing so as well. With the new ball, he was fantastic yesterday, and I think with time he will get better with the old ball and death bowling.”
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