Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin commented on Virat Kohli’s future amid the ODI series against the West
Indies. India are playing a three-match series against West Indies at home and won the first game by eight wickets. Ahead of the series, Virat Kohli said that the 2027 World Cup would be his last ICC tournament for India as well. In the first ODI, he smashed 139* and recorded his 86th international century as well. Ashwin added that Kohli should stick to his words and not think of playing beyond the World Cup to chase Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries as well.

“As a well-wisher, I really want that he hangs up his boots, as he has committed that the 2027 World Cup is his last and his chances of playing are low after that. I am not surprised at all. Keeping this fitness and batting form takes a lot of effort, and I am sure that, behind closed doors, he is doing a lot of work. Maybe he doesn’t want to do it. Even if he wants to play after the World Cup, it does not make any practical sense. Logically, it is possible. But if he really does this, I will take my hat out and it will be a remarkable achievement. If he can do it, I will say both he and Sachin are on the same level without a shadow of a doubt,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.

“I will stick my neck out and say this comparison is wrong on many quadrants. When Virat has played, the rules and situations have changed. When Sachin was playing white-ball for India, the ball was different. For me, the comparison will always be wrong, no matter how many stats or records you keep in front of me. The comparison should not happen at all. I will always pick Sachin. It is not Kohli’s fault. If Kohli had played at No.3 in any generation for India, he would have been a champion player, I have no doubts. To compare people of two generations is absolutely sinister,” he further added.

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However, the way Virat Kohli has batted in the first ODI, smashing nine sixes, he showed a new version of himself for sure. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin added that Kohli has nothing more to prove or achieve and hence is trying out new
things as motivation to go to practice as well.

“Imagine you are Kohli. You have achieved so much. You stay in London now. World Cup is the destination you want to go to. He has nothing to achieve. If he has to go to practice, there are only two things: to keep up his benchmark and to try something new. You cannot practice without that. This is nothing new for him. You can learn from him that if you do not try new things, you will lose what you have as well,” he said.

“Virat showed one thing that even his biggest fans would not have noticed. He played a cut shot against Motie. It went tight between point and third man. Even the players who play the finest cuts would have paused for a minute and watched it. He has never played that shot that well. It was not that short a ball, either, and was quick,” he concluded.