Not Kohli or Rohit! R Ashwin’s picks for batters with best cover drive and pull shot leave fans scratching heads

Every star batter has a special shot that they have mastered and can give their fans a delightful treat while playing it. Among Indian cricketers, while Sachin Tendulkar is known for his magnificent straight drives, MS Dhoni is regarded as the inventor of the helicopter shot. Virat Kohli is famous for his cover drive and Rohit Sharma's pull shot has a separate fanbase.

There are many players around the world who can play great cover drives, but there are only a few who can match Kohli's charm. However, according to veteran off-spinner spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the former India captain is not the one who plays the best cover drive.

In a video shared on YouTube, Ashwin was seen engaging in a rapid-fire Q&A session where he received questions like who plays the best cover drive and pull shot. Ashwin did not name his teammate Kohli for the perfect cover drive and instead chose former England batsman Marcus Trescothick.  

Ashwin did not hesitate to give a similar reply when asked about the pull shot master. When everyone expected him to name Rohit Sharma, Ashwin, who turns 38 on Tuesday, named former legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Both of Ashwin's selections left fans scratching their heads. However, many would have agreed with the choice of Ponting. On the other hand, snubbing Kohli over an unfamiliar English player would not be the same. For the unversed, Trescothick has played 76 Tests, 123 ODIs and three T20Is for England, scoring 5825, 4335 and 166 runs respectively.

Also Read: R Ashwin to retire soon? Veteran Indian star makes huge statement days before his 38th birthday

Ashwin ignores Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma while picking most valuable cricketer

Ashwin once again ignored the elite pair of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as he picked India's most valuable cricketer. He picked premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah in this category considering his exceptional performance since returning to international cricket in August 2023. Notably, Bumrah was the Player of the Series in India’s historic T20 World Cup win in June 2024.

"We Chennai people appreciate bowlers a lot. He was here for an event as a chief guest 4-5 days ago. We gave him a Rajni treatment. We (Chennai people) treat bowlers very nicely. He should be treated as a champion. I don’t want to name, but Jasprit Bumrah is the most valuable Indian cricketer right now," Ashwin said on Vimal Kumar's YouTube channel.

Also Read: 'They were also tactically strong, but...' - R Ashwin points to key area while ranking captaincy styles of Dhoni, Kohli and Rohit