VVS Laxman ‘Shocked’ to See Rohit Sharma’s Exclusion From Wisden Cricket Awards List, Says World Cup Was Bigger Than The Ashes

The Wisden gave India’s ODI deputy Rohit Sharma a miss while naming the Five Cricketers of the Year in 2019.

India’s vice-captain Rohit Sharma set the ICC Cricket World Cup on fire when he slammed five match-winning hundreds to power India to the semifinals of the showpiece event. Apart from World Cup, Rohit continued to torment the bowlers around the world and carried his rich vein of form in limited-overs cricket. Despite his magnificent numbers in 2019, The Wisden did not include Rohit in their list of ‘Five Cricketers of the Year in 2019’.

‘Surprised and shocked’ to see Rohit’s exclusion, former India batsman VVS Laxman termed the move a shocker from one of cricket’s most prestigious yellow book. Laxman felt that the Mumbaikar deserved to be there in the list.

“I think anyone who follows the game of cricket will be surprised and shocked not to see Rohit Sharma’s name in those five players list,” said Laxman, a veteran of 134 Tests.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes and Australia’s Ellyse Perry were named the ‘Leading Cricketers of 2019’ by Wisden Almanack.

Stokes had a successful 2019 as he was instrumental in England winning its first-ever ODI World Cup. The all-rounder played a key part in the final held at Lord’s, which the hosts won on boundary count.

Rohit ended as the leading run-scorer in the World Cup last year with 648 runs in nine matches at an average of 81.00 with five hundreds and a half-century.

“Because yes, The Ashes is an important series, the World Cup is bigger than Ashes. And someone who has scored five hundred; remember the first hundred was on a tough wicket in Southampton against South Africa and none of the other batsmen got runs,” elaborated the elegant former middle-order batsman on Star Sports 1 show Cricket Connected.

The 45-year-old Laxman stressed on the fact that the World Cup was an important and a bigger platform than Ashes.

“And he (Rohit) played another important knock against Pakistan. I am really shocked and surprised, and every cricketer will be shocked and surprised by this announcement from Wisden,” Laxman signed off.

Along with Perry, Wisden named Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, Jofra Archer and Simon Harmer as the Five Cricketers of the Year 2019.

Wisden also named West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell as T20 Leading Cricketer of 2019.