Not MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin reveals Virat Kohli’s pick for captain’s nightmare in death overs
Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed Virat Kohli’s pick for captain’s nightmare in death overs. The former India captain picked the reigning skipper Rohit Sharma over MS Dhoni, one of the best finishers in the format.
The off-spinner said that Kohli believes that Rohit becomes unstoppable once he is set after 15-20 overs and the death bowlers find it tough to bowl to him due to the range of shots he has in his armory.
Ashwin told on his YouTube channel:
“(Conversation with Virat about Rohit) 5-6 years back, Virat Kohli and I had a discussion while Rohit was batting. I don't remember which match it was. Seeing Rohit bat, I was thinking, 'Where do you even bowl to him?' If Rohit is set after 15-20 overs, you wouldn't know where to bowl to him."
He added:
"Virat asked me, 'Do you know who is a captain's nightmare at the death?'. I asked, 'Is it Dhoni?'. Kohli was like, 'No, it is Rohit.' When I asked him, 'Why?', he said, 'You won't know where to bowl.'”
Rohit Sharma has been in sublime form with the bat in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. The right-handed opener has smashed three consecutive half-centuries against Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. He recently scored 53 off 48 balls against Lanka. During his knock, he also became only the sixth Indian cricketer to complete 10,000 ODI runs after Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni.
“I just get a feeling that we might see another double hundred in this World Cup” – Ravichandran Ashwin on Rohit Sharma
Ravichandran Ashwin further said that he believes that Rohit Sharma will score a double century in the upcoming 2023 World Cup. The 36-year-old lauded him for his shot-making at any stage of the game.
On this, Ashwin said:
“He has got all the shots in the book and once he played an extraordinary knock in Chinnaswamy Stadium (209 vs Australia in 2013) that Kohli can never forget, it seems. Rohit Sharma has got all the shots, and he makes it look so effortless and easy."
He added:
"Whereas with Rohit, if he starts well, it is kind of deflating for the opposition. Be it inside the powerplay or after the 10 overs. I just get a feeling that we might see another double hundred in this World Cup.”
For the uninitiated, Rohit has already scored three double centuries in ODIs, with a best score of 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014.