Following WTC final snub, Ravichandran Ashwin heaps praise on Rohit Sharma for ‘exemplary empathy

India are set to tour West Indies for a multi-format series which will start on July 12 with a 2-match Test series. This will also mark the beginning of India’s WTC 2023-25 cycle campaign. The Men in Blue suffered an embarrassing 209-run loss in the recently held WTC 2023 final against Australia. After this, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma had to face a lot of criticism from the fans.

Meanwhile, India’s veteran off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, who wasn’t included in India’s playing XI for the WTC 2023 final, has lavished praise on Rohit and highlighted some qualities of the captain. He said that Rohit always supports his players and this is the reason why he has won multiple titles.

“His [Rohit Sharma] empathy for players and the support and backing, and understanding of the player is something exemplary. And that’s really why he has won so many titles also. I mean that’s something that I’ll always take away with when it comes to Rohit,” Ashwin added.

It is unfair to criticise Rohit alone: Harbhajan Singh

Former legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh also backed Rohit and said that people should move on from the WTC final loss. He also said that it is unfair to criticise Rohit alone as he believes that after playing him and watching him closely, he has observed that Rohit commands a lot of respect while leading any team.

“Team India didn’t do well in the WTC final, and yes, you talk about that performance and move on from there. But it is unfair to criticise Rohit alone, that he is not scoring runs, putting on weight, not captaining well. I think he is a brilliant leader,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by Cricket Country.

“I have played with him (Rohit) and watched him closely. He commands a lot of respect not only in the MI dressing room but also in the Indian dressing room. So I think it’s unfair to judge him on the basis of recent results. He will come good and we need to show faith in him and we need to support him rather than pinpointing that you are not doing this or that.” he added.