‘Ash, Jadeja will play a huge role in rest of the series’: Rohit

Ravichandran Ashwin (left) and Ravindra Jadeja. Pic/AFP

India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday endorsed the exclusion of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin from the first Test against Australia at Perth, saying it was the "right thing to do" but backed the two veterans to play a "huge role" in the rest of the series.

Coming off a 0-3 hammering to New Zealand at home, India took an audacious call to leave out Ashwin and Jadeja while handing Test debuts to Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy.

Rohit told the media on the eve of the second Test here, "Unfortunately, I was not there to bring this news to them that they are not playing the first game. It's always hard to leave [out] experienced players like Jadeja and Ashwin, it's never easy.

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"But the decision was made [on the basis of] whatever was best for the team at that particular time and whatever the management felt at that particular time is the right thing to do, we did that."

Rohit reckoned Ashwin and Jadeja, who have 855 Test wickets between them, would play a huge role in the remainder of the five-match series as India look to keep alive their hopes of making a third appearance in the World Test Championship final next year.

"That is what, throughout the series, we will look to do - whatever we feel at that particular time is the right thing to do. We will try and do that. But I certainly see them playing a huge role in the rest of the series," he said.

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