After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently revealed Team India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021, reports have emerged suggesting that off-spinner and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t the first choice for captain Virat Kohli. Reports have also suggested how it was Rohit Sharma who helped Ashwin get a spot on the final roster.

In an article published by the Times of India, it is suggested that Kohli was more inclined towards having Washington Sundar as the main bowling all-rounder for the tournament. His own condition for allowing a berth for Ashwin was if “Sundar’s performance dipped drastically”.

However, since Sundar got severely injured during the warm-up match ahead of the Test series between India and England, he was automatically sidelined.

The TOI report also suggests that it was India’s T20 and ODI vice-captain Rohit Sharma whose “backing” helped the 34-year old Ashwin make a return to the limited-overs format ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021 after four long years of waiting.

Interestingly, the selection committee paid a lot more attention to Rohit Sharma’s recommendations and took special note of how much the Mumbai Indians skipper wanted to have Ashwin by his side during the World Cup matches. One of the major reasons for choosing the veteran to make a return was the slow pitches of the United Arab Emirates, where the tournament will be taking place.

Eventually, both Sharma and Kohli advocated the fact that Ashwin has been one of the toughest spinners to face against in the Indian Premier League in the last few seasons and that he would be an asset to the team in the UAE conditions.

The Indian locker room is also under the impression that Rohit Sharma’s brilliance as the Mumbai Indians skipper has earned him the right to be taken a lot more seriously when it comes to Team India’s decision-making processes, especially for white-ball cricket.

His success with the IPL franchise has also become a gateway for many MI cricketers to get picked for the final roster ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021. For instance, Ishan Kishan for Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Chahar for Yuzvendra Chahal.

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