Former India spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin praised Team India star Abhishek Sharma for his stunning performance with the bat in 2025 as well. However, Abhishek had a brilliant year in the T20 format, and Ashwin shared his wish to see him play for India in ODIs as well.

“It’s not just the arrival of Abhishek Sharma, but the arrival of India’s next generation X-factor player. If there is one player who has been the best for India in 2025, it has to be him. He has batted really well. He has reimagined India’s powerplay batting and has been exceptional. I would love to see him in the ODI format as well. I think he will probably be the Men’s team player of the year,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.

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“For both Rohit and Virat, the fire is there to win that 50-over World Cup and they are putting in all their efforts. It is important that we enjoy every single match that they are giving to us. In many ways, they have redefined the years. Not been an easy year as they both retired from Tests and there was a lot of talk about their chances for the World Cup. But they have come back and played really well. Virat is looking in exceptional form and pristine touch. That is great for Indian cricket,” he added.

However, Ravichandran Ashwin also named star spinner Varun Chakaravarthy as India’s bowler of the year (2025). The mystery spinner played an important role, especially in big wins such as the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup as well.

“I will pick Varun Chakaravarthy as India’s bowler of the year. He was the MVP. Whenever the team used him, he showed that X-factor. People have found it hard to pick him. His fortunes will be very key to India’s chances at the 2026 T20 World Cup as well. He did not have a great start in his career, he was out of the side, then he reinvented himself and came back, and now he is at the top of the T20I rankings. It has been a journey to remember,” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.