“If you go and tell players that you want to move on from them, no player will feel good about it. Even if the selectors or the coach had come to me in Australia and said, “We want to move past you. We’re done with you.” I would also have felt bad. I’d think, “One bad series… is that enough? Every player is allowed one poor series.” That’s how every player would feel. But once it’s done, you can at least say, “Okay… the communication was clear,” Ashwin said on Ash Ki Baat.

“Maybe it has already happened in Rohit’s case. Maybe it has happened in Virat’s case. Virat has been excellent. Rohit has been more than decent. So why have we allowed this to drag on until August 2026… …when there are only 10-12 months left before the 2027 World Cup in South Africa? Why has it come this far? That’s my only question,” he added.

Ashwin said prolonged uncertainty could affect a player’s mindset, adding that if a cricketer no longer felt wanted in the dressing room, it would inevitably reflect in his performances.

“If either of those two players doesn’t feel wanted, two things will happen. First, they cannot perform at their best. Second, they will start feeling low about themselves for simply being there. Think about it once. If you’re in a house where people don’t want you to stay, can you really live comfortably in that house?” he said.

While making it clear that the final decision rested with the selectors and team management, Ashwin said he would still prefer to have Rohit and Kohli’s experience in South Africa if the decision was based purely on cricketing merit.

“We’re going to South Africa in September-October. Do we need Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? If you ask me, I would want that experience,” he said.

His comments came days after television visuals from India’s practice session in Birmingham ahead of the first ODI triggered speculation on social media over the relationship between Kohli and Gambhir. Reports suggested the pair had avoided interacting during training, reviving discussion around a perceived rift between them despite both having publicly maintained that there were no issues.

The two had shared a widely publicised on-field altercation during an IPL match in 2023 when Gambhir was the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants. However, they were later seen embracing during IPL 2024 after Gambhir returned to Kolkata Knight Riders.

During his introductory press conference as India head coach in July 2024, Gambhir had dismissed public curiosity over his relationship with Kohli. “Good for the TRP, but my relationship is not public. What kind of relationship I share with Virat Kohli, I think it is between two mature individuals,” Gambhir had said, adding that whatever happened on the field stayed there. “On the field, everyone has got the right to fight for their own team, their own jersey, and want to come back in a winning dressing room.”

Kohli had reiterated his desire to play the 2027 ODI World Cup in May this year, saying he wants to continue playing as long as he can contribute meaningfully to the team. The former India captain stressed that he has nothing left to prove, adding he would only carry on if both he and the team believed he still added value.

“I’ve been asked so many times, ‘Do you want to play ’27?’ Why would I leave my home, get my stuff over, and be like, ‘I don’t know what I want.’ Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket, I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.”

“If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen. If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space,” he said on the RCB Podcast in May.

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On the match itself, Kotak said Kohli had relayed important information from the middle about the nature of the Cardiff surface, allowing the dressing room to better understand the conditions.

“When there is double pace or double bounce, it’s more about adapting better. Everybody knew because Virat, while he was batting, sent a message to us and also told the head coach that the short balls were actually not going through. So, we knew. Personally, I felt that Washington’s injury happened when he ran the first run towards mid-off. It looked like a hamstring injury, and it looks like a bad injury. Then, the next ball, he got out. From there, we again wanted a partnership, but unfortunately, we lost Axar and Shivam.”

The right-hander made 65 before he was dismissed top-edging a delivery to Jofra Archer. He has looked in excellent touch in ODI cricket ever since retiring from Tests in May 2025, having made hundreds against South Africa at home in December 2025 and against New Zealand at Indore in January 2026.

Kohli’s next assignment, post the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday, would be the three-match ODI series against West Indies at home in September.