Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that India's rise as a force in the world of white-ball cricket began not with Gautam Gambhir, but with the era of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. Gambhir may be facing questions about his initial red-ball coaching tenure, but India's white-ball success continues on the same trajectory established by the Rohit-Dravid philosophy.
Gambhir had said to remember his achievements.
Following the recent 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa, Gambhir had said that the BCCI would decide on his removal, but the board should not forget his achievements in the white-ball format. Under Gambhir's supervision, India won the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup T20. Ashwin's statement may have been based on Gambhir's statement, but he did not name the coach. Prior to Ashwin, former cricketer Manoj Tiwary also criticized Gambhir's statement, saying that Kohli, Rohit, and Dravid had built the white-ball team.
"The intention wasn't just stated, it was lived on the field."
According to Ashwin, the origin of India's current aggressive batting lies in the vision of Rohit Sharma and Dravid, who not only provided the team with a strategy but also exemplified it on the field. He said, "The credit for India's fast-scoring identity in T20s and ODIs goes largely to Rohit and Rahul bhai. They didn't just explain, they demonstrated it by making the team play accordingly." In his view, white-ball cricket is no longer a game of average batting but a game of strike-rate, and India has embraced this change wholeheartedly.
World Cup 2024: Defining the Template
Rohit Sharma's batting proved this changed DNA. His strike rate in the 2024 T20 World Cup was above 156. He scored 92 off 41 balls against Australia in St. Lucia and 57 on a challenging wicket in the semi-final against England. These weren't just innings, but declarations of India's new mindset. Rohit demonstrated how to build pressure in the first over and write the story of the match from there.
The same impact was visible in the new generation.
The essence of this new white-ball India was clearly visible in Abhishek Sharma's batting in 2025. His figures in the Asia Cup T20 2025 were astonishing. Abhishek scored 314 runs at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of nearly 200. Abhishek didn't look at the names of the bowlers, but only looked for the places to hit. His start is reminiscent of Rohit's 2024 template. Attacking the first 12 balls, controlling the run rate, pushing the field into defensive mode... For Ashwin, this is the ultimate victory, when thinking surpasses humans.
"Enjoy while you have it."
Ashwin also offered an emotional message. He said, "I don't know how long we'll be able to see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play. Celebrate them while they last." He said that time passes quickly, and the only refrain you hear afterward is, "Call them back." So, celebrate them while they're still playing. Life moves so fast. Time waits for no one. It's important to understand that time is short, so it's best to enjoy what we're doing.
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