'Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Were Crying In Dressing Room After World Cup Final Loss,' Says R Ashwin

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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were spotted crying in the dressing room by teammate spinner R Ashwin following the heartbreaking loss to Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad. India were firm favourites to win the final after winning 10 matches on the go.

After the loss, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Indian dressing room and tried to cheer up Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other Indian players but Ashwin said the dressing room witnessed some heartbreaking scenes.

"Yes, we were feeling the pain. Rohit and Virat were in tears, (and) seeing it felt bad. Anyway, (it was) not meant to be. This team was an experienced side, (and) everyone knew what to do," R Ashwin told former cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath on his YouTube channel.

Although India failed to emerge successful in the ICC World Cup 2023, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma lit up the event up with their explosive batting. Ashwin heaped praise on Rohit, both as a batter and leader.

"If you take a look at Indian cricket, everybody will be telling you that MS Dhoni is the best captain. (But), Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person, (and) he understands every single player in the team," he said. "He knows the likes and dislikes of each of us and has a great understanding. He puts in the effort to know each player personally," he reckoned.

Ashwin played just a game in the entire World Cup, India's opener against Australia in Chennai, finishing with figures of one for 34. Asked why Rohit didn't include him in the playing XI for the final, he backed the skipper saying it's not easy to change the winning combination.

"As far as I playing the final is concerned, the team combination and all is secondary. Firstly, it's about empathy, (and) I keep stressing it a lot. It's like standing in someone else's shoes and looking at things from his/her perspective. Had I been in Rohit's shoes, I would have thought 100 times about altering the (winning) combination," he said.

"It was going alright for the team, so why rest a fast bowler for three spinners?" he wondered. "Honestly, I understood Rohit Sharma's thought process. Playing the final is big, (and) I was preparing for three days in the lead-up," Ashwin said. "At the same time, I was also prepared to cheer for the side and run in with energy drinks if I was not given the opportunity. I was mentally prepared for that as well."

-With inputs from PTI