Ravichandran Ashwin has warned Virat Kohli that he could meet similar treatment to Rohit Sharma if he’s not ‘on the top of his game’ in the next few months. Ashwin said that ‘unfortunately’, despite Kohli’s
excellent form, the situation in the Indian team doesn’t indicate that his place is secure.
Rohit has reportedly been told by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee that the board will move on from him after the three-ODI series against England. The selectors seem to want to test out Yashasvi Jaiswal for one year in the lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The report sent shivers down the cricketing world because Rohit was in excellent form until the eight ODIs this year and was building his fitness well, too. Virat Kohli’s form has been better, with 310 runs in five games at an average of 62 and a strike-rate of 103.33, but Ashwin thinks it might not be enough.
“The way this is going, Virat also has to be on top of his game, unfortunately,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel. “He’s batting beautifully. I’ve never seen Virat bat like this. I’d love to have him in the squad in South Africa, but he has to stay on top of it. I don’t know, I hope it’s not the case, but seriously, Rohit hasn’t been too bad either.”
In May 2025, reports similarly broke about Rohit being told that he wasn’t needed in Tests, and he hung up his boots only a few hours later. Within a few days of it, Kohli retired from Tests as well.
‘Show them dignity’
Ashwin further said that while seniors being let go for juniors was common and even logical, players like Rohit deserved ‘dignity’ and clear communication.
“Anyone can be dropped—that’s the selector, captain, and coach’s job,” he said. “If someone is dropped, there’s no problem with that. You can ask, ‘What can I do?’ If it’s not working, then we won’t drop you? If it’s age, then we won’t drop you? My point is, there should be a direct communication channel, done properly. The problem is that if you look at big corporations, layoffs happen. When someone at a senior level who has contributed a lot to the company is let go, they should have a proper conversation. If someone has performed for two decades for the country, achieved so much, at least talk to them properly, show them the path with dignity.”
