'Can't be touched...': Ashwin on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has backed veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, saying they are irreplaceable in the national team. The spin wizard made the remarks on his YouTube channel 'Ash ki Baat.' He said that both players have an "army" of fans who come to watch them play, making their removal from the team nearly impossible. Rohit and Kohli recently starred in India's 388-run chase against England at Lord's, though in a losing cause.
Fan impact
What Ashwin said
Ashwin said, "They cannot be touched because they are batters. They have an army, a battalion. People come to see them."
He added that dropping these players would create a huge uproar among fans.
The former cricketer also noted that while bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, or Bhuvneshwar Kumar not being picked may raise some questions from fans, it wouldn't create the same level of noise as dropping Rohit and Kohli would.
Performance review
Rohit shuts detractors with century at Lord's
Despite the speculation surrounding his potential retirement, Rohit proved his mettle in the third ODI against England at Lord's.
He scored a brilliant 138 off 110 balls, hitting 17 fours and 5 sixes, and became India's first-ever centurion at Lord's. He broke several other records.
Meanwhile, Kohli continued his bright form with a 60-ball 74 (4 fours and 3 sixes).
Information
400 and not out!
The Lord's ODI marked the 400th outing of Rohit and Kohli together in international cricket. The two already hold the record for most international matches played together for India, having surpassed the previous record of 391 appearances by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Information
Record century stand
In the chase, Rohit and Kohli added 113 runs off 86 balls for the second wicket, their 21st century-plus stand in ODIs. Only Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have more such partnerships (26) in the format.