Ashwin makes cheeky 'security is important' remark on Rohit Sharma while praising Dhoni

Why you’re reading this: India lost the ICC World Test Championship 2023 against Australia at the Oval on June 11. This was India’s second consecutive WTC Final loss, as they lost to New Zealand in the 2021 cycle. Indian openers have displayed a poor performance recently during the knockout matches of the major cricket events and R Ashwin has made a huge statement on the current leadership of the Indian cricket team.

3 things you need to know

• India has failed to win an international trophy since 2013
• India has failed to win an ICC trophy under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
• India will play in the ODI World Cup later this year

Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin Reviews First Ashes Test Match, Calls It Contest Between 'Fire & Ice'

What did R Ashwin say about the former Indian captain?

Following the Indian cricket team’s ICC trophy drought, Ravichandran Ashwin has discussed the ICC trophy drought under Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and how the previous India skipper, MS Dhoni, separated out from the crowd.

The all-rounder emphasized that under the captaincy of MSD, there was a sense of security among the team members regarding their places in the squad. The 36-year-old highlighted that the illustrious Indian captain had tremendous support for 15 key players for any ICC competitions, much as he did for Chennai Super Kings members in the IPL and won the 5th title in 2023, beating Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans.

“A lot of us talk about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership. So, what MS do? He kept it very simple. Under the MS regime I played, he will pick a squad of 15. The same squad of 15, and 11 will play throughout the year. That security is very important for a player.”-The all-rounder stated.

MSD and R Ashwin won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. India lost the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, the 2019 World Cup, and the 2021 World Tennis Championship under Virat. With the exception of the 2022 Asia Cup, they have lost the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 WTC final under Rohit Sharma.

How many tournaments has the Indian cricket team lost since 2013?

• 2014 World T20 Final
• 2015 ODI WC Semi Final
• 2016 World T20 Semi Final
• 2017 Champions Trophy Final
• 2019 ODI WC Semi Final
• 2021 WTC Final
• 2021 T20 WC Super 12 exit
• 2022 T20 WC Semi Final
• 2023 WTC Final

India will be playing West Indies next month in a bilateral series to prepare for the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup in the rest of the seaon. The WI series will consist of 2 Test matches, 3 ODIs and 5 T20 matches.