"Not like it's something personal" - R Ashwin issues clarification after excluding Virat Kohli from his best playing 11 of IPL 2025 

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cleared the air regarding Virat Kohli's absence from his best playing XI of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). He chose to sideline his former national teammate while selecting the team during a discussion with the panelists on the YouTube channel, instead choosing the pair of Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill.

Ashwin included three players from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in the form of Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, and Josh Hazlewood, but the Gujarat Titans (GT) opening pair was preferred over Virat Kohli.

The RCB opener had a stunning season, playing a vital hand in the franchise's maiden IPL title triumph. He scored 657 runs at an average of 54.75, and a strike rate of 144.71. Sai Sudharsan, on the other hand, won the Orange Cap with 759 runs to his name, while Shubman Gill scored 650 runs at an average of 50.00, and a strike rate of 155.87.

After facing backlash over the exclusion of Virat Kohli, the former cricketer had to explain that the decision was purely from a cricketing standpoint, and there was no personal agenda behind it.

"We recently released the team of the IPL, and you guys were saying in the comments that I forgot Kohli's name or that I did not talk about him. Of course, Virat played really well, but there was no place for him in that team. It is not like it's something personal, please do not think like that," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

R Ashwin's best playing XI for IPL 2025

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Nicholas Pooran, Jitesh Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, and Noor Ahmad.

"I love Virat, but he has come, played the game, left the game, left it at a great place" - R Ashwin

There were concerns among several regarding how Test cricket would be perceived, and how it would be carried forward following Virat Kohli's retirement from the format. The former India skipper had played a massive role in the promotion of the traditional format, but Ashwin asserted that there will be a new flag bearer.

"I love Virat, but he has come, played the game, left the game, left it at a great place. And now, it is for someone else to take it forward. I do not think anybody who has played the game, or will play the game, is higher than the game itself," Ashwin said in an interview with RevSportz recently (via Hindustan Times).

Team India's first assignment without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on a permanent basis comes in the form of a five-match Test series against England, away from home. The Shubman Gill-led side will kickstart the series with the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday, June 20.