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Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the selectors’ decision to drop Suryakumar Yadav from India’s T20I setup, calling it a “landmark” and “ruthless” call and suggesting that the World Cup-winning captain deserved 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 both the captaincy and his place in the squad, less than three months after leading India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title.Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the move was based on form and the team’s plans for the next T20 World Cup cycle. Ashwin, however, felt Suryakumar had earned the opportunity to make one final case for himself, especially in the upcoming England series.Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said he was surprised by how the decision was made and believed Suryakumar’s contribution as captain should also have been taken into account.“Look, I think it’s a very interesting precedent, if I can say that. I just want to put myself in Suryakumar Yadav’s shoes and for an instance think how he would be feeling at this point of time. I’m sure every player has got the right to be gutted about being left out of the side and that’s fair if he’s feeling bad about it, but just the whole occasion, the way it’s been done, I am a little apprehensive about the whole thing.”“Because in my head I’m thinking, okay, I’m the T20 World Cup-winning captain. I’m just putting myself in Surya’s shoes and thinking about it. Sure, my batting form has let me down over the last 18 months or 15 months or whatever it is. I haven’t been in the prime form that I could have been. But then I managed to win a T20 World Cup for the country. Didn’t have the greatest World Cup as a batter, but surely, just like everyone else in the team – the coach, the vice-captain, the best-performing batter, best-performing bowler – he’s also been the best-performing skipper, right? He’s played his part.“
How should Suryakumar Yadav be viewed in light of his recent achievements?
Ashwin said he understood the selectors’ long-term approach but felt Suryakumar deserved more backing after winning a World Cup.“I saw Ajit’s press conference and I liked what he said: for the next two years is what we are planning, which is quite a good way of looking at it. But is there a possibility that they could have given Surya a bit more time? And if you feel he’s not a walk into your XI, could he have been given that big England series to ask himself to prove once again as a batter that he belongs in that place? I just think he deserved that after having accomplished such a huge feat in his career.“Ashwin added that the decision could become a reference point for future selection calls involving captains.“Has there been an instance where a captain who’s won the T20 World Cup has been left out without any ultimatum? I’m sure there’s been communication. I have no doubts with regards to that. But this is quite a landmark day in selection if you ask me, because this will be taken as some sort of precedent the next time such a thing ever comes up. And let’s not forget, T20 is a high-risk game where the batters are expected to put their wicket on the line for scoring those extra boundaries. You want them to play a brand of cricket which is high risk and hence my question is: could the captain of the defending champions have been dealt a slightly better deal than what he was dealt?”
