"Would love to see him in the ODI format as well" - R Ashwin praises Team India star for his exceptional performance in 2025

Spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin praised Team India star Abhishek Sharma for his exceptional performance with the bat in 2025. Abhishek had a brilliant year in the shorter format, and Ashwin expressed his wish to see him play for India in ODIs as well.

He picked Abhishek as the player of the year (2025) for the Men in Blue. He even stated that the left-hander had marked his arrival as the next generation X-factor player for the country. Abhishek scored 859 runs in 21 T20Is this year at an average of 42.95 and a strike rate of 193.46 with a hundred and five half-centuries.

"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'.

Ashwin also lauded Team India veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both batters made a solid comeback in ODIs, after having retired from Tests earlier in the year. The spin legend highlighted that it was a tough year for the two stars, but they showed the fire within themselves to play and win the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"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 reflected.

Rohit has scores of 73, 121*, 57, 14, 75 in his last five ODIs. He also struck a brilliant 155 for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26. In his last five ODI outings, Kohli has scores of 0, 74*, 135, 102, 65*. He also made 131 and 77 in the two VHT 2025-26 games he played for Delhi.

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Ravichandran Ashwin picks star spinner as India's bowler of the year

Ravichandran Ashwin picked star spinner Varun Chakaravarthy as India's bowler of the year (2025). The mystery spinner played a key role, particularly in big wins such as the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup.

"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," Ashwin said.

This year, Varun picked up 10 wickets from four ODIs at an average of 19.00 and an economy rate of 4.75. In T20Is, he bagged 36 wickets from 20 games at an average of 13.19 and an economy rate of 7.08.

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Edited by Rishab Vm