"I am the MVP and not Rohit, Virat": Ravichandran Ashwin speaks up against the trend of labelling other players as support cast

Ravichandran Ashwin took 765 wickets for India across formats and finished his career as the second-highest wicket-taker for the country. He said that the India National Cricket Team has been blessed with Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, but it is wrong to sideline the other members of the team as a support case because cricket is a team sport, and he would be the Most Valuable Player in his story.

“I want to change one thing in the Indian cricket which people often talk about. They have been talking about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. When I was growing up, I talked about Sachin. I spoke about other big names. I would want to leave one message for everybody: there is no doubt that these are glorious players, but the people from the outside think that other players playing a supporting cast are wrong because this a sport.

“I am the MVP in my life. For my mom and dad, I am the MVP. It is not Rohit, Virat or somebody as everyone’s journey is unique. For me, I have been the MVP and I am the MVP of my cricket,” he said.

Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket after the third Test between India and Australia in Brisbane, will continue to play for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. He was bought for INR 9.75 crore by the franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah. The veteran will reunite with MS Dhoni, with whom he played for several years.

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