It's a catch 22 situation for out-of-form Rohit: Ravichandran Ashwin

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels it's a "catch-22 situation" for an out-of-form Rohit Sharma, and believes it's high time for the India skipper to silence his critics by letting his bat do the talking ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Rohit, who had dropped himself from the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia owing to poor form, scored just two runs in the first ODI against England in Nagpur on his return to international cricket after a month.

"This is not easy. If you look at it from Rohit's point of view, then obviously, it is frustrating for him. He wants to concentrate on the series. He thinks that I've done well in this format and I'd like to continue.

"I'm going into the tournament with a lot of confidence on the back of the One-Day tournaments that I've played," Ashwin said on on his YouTube channel. 

"But people will ask questions. The ones who are watching will obviously ask. It's a catch-22 situation. You can't stop these questions. When will they stop? When he performs," he added.

Rohit has scored just 166 runs in his last 16 innings across formats.

"But as a cricketer, I understand what Rohit is going through. It's not easy. I pray that he does well and scores a century in this series," Ashwin said.

India won the first ODI against England in Nagpur by four wickets on Thursday. The second ODI will be played in Cuttack on Sunday.

Ashwin, meanwhile, was full of praise for Ravindra Jadeja, insisting that the all-rounder was "more gifted" than him.

In the first ODI, Jadeja returned with impressive figures of 3 for 26 from his nine overs and later remained unbeaten on 12 off 10 balls while chasing the target.

"Our media fails to appreciate when a player does well. Whenever we lose, everyone becomes a villain. He dismissed Joe Root. Jadeja goes always under the radar. He is a 'Jackpot Jango'.

"He is +10 in the field, also bowls well and bats in pressure situations as well. We don't give Jadeja enough credit.

"Jadeja is way more gifted than I ever can. He is a born athlete. His major advantages lie in his physical fitness. He is naturally fit. Even at this age, he can cover the entire area from long on to deep square leg while standing at mid-wicket. I wouldn't be surprised. And I will be more than happy for him.