"Rohit Sharma does not need to be taught to score hundreds" - R Ashwin backs Team India skipper's approach 

Team India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Rohit Sharma's all-out approach with the bat at the top of the order. Despite finishing as the second highest run scorer of the 2023 ODI World Cup, the opening batter was criticised for not making the most of his fluent starts.

Even in the final against Australia, Rohit scored a quickfire 47 off 31 deliveries but perished in the final over of the powerplay and the opposition did turn back after that. He tried to take on Glenn Maxwell for a potential third boundary in the over, but could not clear the infield as he desired, leading to a sharp catch by Travis Head.

Praising Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer's performance during the World Cup, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel:

"Rohit Sharma does not need to be taught to score hundreds. It is the intent which counts. Shreyas Iyer's wicket fell at a very important time in the final."

Ashwin continued:

"Spinners were clobbered by Iyer and it was a setback that we could not get that in the final. He took an oath to master the pull shot and faced countless balls and worked on it. He got out a couple of times to it, but look at the number of short balls he hit for boundaries."

Shreyas Iyer had issued a strong response during a press conference where his credentials against the short ball was questioned. The middle-order batter had a fruitful maiden World Cup campaign, scoring over 500 runs and recording two hundreds.

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"It starts hurting the players after waking up from a night's sleep" - R Ashwin on Team India's 2023 ODI World Cup final heartbreak

The Indian dressing room was understandably in shambles, with the players struggling to put a brave face while Australia relished the World Cup title. Senior figures Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were crestfallen while several members iof the squad were just in a state of poor shock.

Revealing that the pain of defeat was stronger after the players had a chance to reflect on it, Ashwin said:

"It took me a day or two to reflect on how our campaign went. Before the final, I was pretty confident that we would emerge as winners. But once the match ended, the emotion was a little flat. It starts hurting the players after waking up from a night's sleep."

Crediting Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid's work behind the scenes as foundation to the exciting brand of cricket Team India played, Ashwin concluded:

"This World Cup had us playing an exciting brand of cricket and we played outstandingly well and one of the primary reasons for that is the effort that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid put in and their schematic thinking and everything was thought out tactically down the wire."

Where did Team India go wrong in the 2023 ODI World Cup final? Let us know what you think.