DRS, Dec 19: Ashwin retires, Rohit Sharma provides Shami replace & why Prithvi Shaw-Sanju Samson had been dropped

The India vs Australia Test series remains tied at 1-1, but no one’s talking about that now. Ravichandran Ashwin is the talk of the town after he announced his retirement from cricket. Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Ashwin and also provided an update on Mohammed Shami. Talking about Rohit, Sunil Gavaskar feels that the Indian captain will step down in the 5th Test if his poor run continues. Former Indian selector feels coaches can’t be blamed for Virat Kohli’s failures. Coming to domestic cricket, Sanju Samson was dropped by Kerala for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has revealed why they dropped Prithvi Shaw.

Ravichandran Ashwin retires

India’s greatest match-winner in Test cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin, has announced his retirement from cricket. The great off-spinner hung up his boots after the Gabba Test. He added that he feels that he’s got some cricket left in him and that he’ll continue to play club cricket. Ashwin ends his career as the only player with more than 450 wickets and at least 5 centuries.

Rohit Sharma wants NCA to give Shami update

Rohit Sharma was once again posed a question about Mohammed Shami in the press conference. The Indian skipper stated that it’s time that someone from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) should clear the air regarding Shami’s fitness, as they are the ones who are in direct touch with him. He added that the pacer won’t be flown to Australia until it’s 100% sure that he’s fit.

Sanju Samson punished by KCA

Had Ashwin not retired, the biggest news of the day would have been that the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) didn’t include Samson Sanju in the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2024-25. Samson couldn’t make the pre-tournament camp and had informed the KCA about it. Despite knowing his unavailability, KCA has decided to punish the wicketkeeper batter by snubbing him from the team.

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Rohit Sharma to step down after BGT?

Sunil Gavaskar feels that Rohit Sharma will step down as India’s Test captain after the India vs Australia Test series if his form doesn’t improve. With nothing to show for the last couple of months, it’s time that Rohit finally proves his worth. If that doesn’t happen, Gavaskar says he’ll step down for the greater good of the team and hand over the captaincy to someone else.

MCA hits back at Prithvi Shaw with fitness criticism

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has revealed the reason why they didn’t include Prithvi Shaw in their squad for the VHT 2024-25. The retort comes after Shaw responded to the snub by posting his List A record on his social media. MCA raised the same issues of fitness, work ethic, and discipline. But they also added that his late form hasn’t been great either.

“What solution can Gambhir or Nayar possibly give to Virat Kohli”? says former selector

Former India selector Devang Gandhi feels that targetting head coach Gautam Gambhir or assistant coach Abhishek Nayar for Virat Kohli’s failure isn’t the right thing to do. Given the kind of experience the star batter has, Devang says they don’t have to tell Kohli what to do; he himself knows his mistake, and therefore all the responsibility for failure falls on him.