Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the selectors’ decision to drop Suryakumar Yadav from the Indian T20I set-up, calling it a “teaching” and “harsh” call and suggesting that the World Cup-winning captain deserves more time to prove himself.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced India’s T20I squads for the tours of England and Ireland, naming Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma as vice-captain.
The decision also saw Suryakumar lose the captaincy and his place in the team, less than three months after leading India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title.Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the move depends on the form and the team’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament.
However, Ashwin felt that Suryakumar has been given the opportunity to make one last case for himself, especially in the upcoming England series.Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said he was surprised by how the decision was taken and believes Suryakumar’s contribution as captain should have been taken into consideration as well.“Look, I think it’s a very interesting precedent, if I can say so. I just want to put myself in Suryakumar Yadav’s shoes, and for example think about how he would feel at this point in time.
“I’m sure every player has the right to feel frustrated about being left out of the team, and it’s fair if they feel bad about it, but throughout the event, and the way it’s been done, I’m a bit concerned about the whole thing.”“Because in my head I’m thinking, ‘Okay, I’m the T20 World Cup-winning captain.’
I wasn’t the best I could have been. But then she managed to win the T20 World Cup for the country. He didn’t have the greatest World Cup as a batsman, but surely, just like everyone else in the team – the coach, the vice-captain, the best performing bowler, the best bowler – he was also the best performing captain, wasn’t he? He played his part.
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How should Suryakumar Yadav be viewed in light of his recent achievements?
Ashwin said he understood the long-term approach taken by the selectors but felt Suryakumar deserved more support after his World Cup win.“I watched Ajit’s press conference and I liked what he said: What we are planning for the next two years, which is a good way to look at it. But is there a possibility that they could have given Suriya more time? And if you feel he is not in the playing XI, could they have given him that big England series to ask himself to prove once again that he belongs there as a batsman? I think he deserved it after achieving such a huge achievement in his career.”
“Ashwin added that the decision could become a reference point for future selection calls involving leaders.“Has there ever been a case where a captain who won a T20 World Cup was dropped without any warning? I’m sure there was a connection. I have no doubt as to that. But this is a historic day for selection if you ask me, because this will be taken as a precedent the next time something like that happens. And let’s not forget that T20 is a high-stakes game where batsmen are expected to put their wickets on the line to score those extra boundaries.”
You want them to play a high-stakes kind of cricket, so my question is: Could the defending champions’ captain have gotten a slightly better deal than he got?”