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Xtra Time Web Desk : Indian cricket has been going through conundrums for the past few days after BCCI announced Rohit Sharma as Team India's White Ball captain on December 8, replacing Virat Kohli. And now, the veteran Team India off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stated about what he thinks of Rohit Sharma's leadership skills.

In a show called 40 Shades of Ash, premiered from his own YouTube channel on Thursday, the off spinner answered some very interesting fan questions. When asked about Rohit Sharma's influence in the team, the Tamil Nadu cricketer stated, "Rohit is a very fine leader and Rohit and I have been playing cricket together for a very very long time, like we first met when we were playing U17 India. In fact Rohit replaced me as a batter at the Team. I played the first game. Didn't make enough runs. Rohit played as a batter in the next game in my place. So from then on it's been almost what 17-18 years now that we've known each other and played cricket. Have a lot of respect. Rohit the batsman is someone that I'd pay to watch anytime and now Rohit the leader is also someone who's come off age and I wish him all the very best..and yeah his batting is always pleasing in the eye,"

Answering to a fan question, the Team India off spinner also opened up on getting dropped in England and said, "Getting dropped is a point of motivation, isn't it ? So if you're dropped, obviously you have to work harder and you've to make sure that you gain your place in the team. And if you get dropped there is something that is learnt out of it. There is something you might be lacking. There's a reason why somebody might be playing or if you feel the reason is valid, you work on it, if you find the reason is not valid, you still work on it. That's life, you know. Learn from success and from failures,"

The 35 year old also opined about the best wicketkeeper that he's played with amongst MS Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha and Dinesh Karthik, in answer to a question by adding, "Dhoni, Saha and DK - in that order, you can take the answer. It is very difficult to separate them behind the stumps. I've played a lot of cricket with Dinesh in Tamil Nadu. But if I've to pick one.. I think some really really tough dismissals have been made look easy just the man behind the stumps (MS Dhoni). There's this one dismissal of Ed Cowan in Chennai on Day 1 where he steps out and gets stump. The ball didn't turn but it bounced, and MS Dhoni collected the ball. I've hardly seen him miss anything, be it stumping or run-out catches. He's one of the most exceptional keepers against spin. Saha is not far behind either."

Now, with the South Africa series ahead Ashwin's role in the team would be extremely important in Ravindra Jadeja's absence. It would be interesting to see if the off spinning all rounder can help Team India to clinch their first ever Test Series win in South Africa.