Ravichandran Ashwin feels Team India star Suryakumar Yadav deserved another opportunity to prove himself before a call was taken on his T20I captaincy. The swashbuckling batter lost his leadership position and was omitted from the Men in Blue’s upcoming T20I series against England and Ireland.
The legendary spinner opined that Suryakumar should have been given one more chance, especially after having led India to the 2026 T20 World Cup triumph. Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo after the squad announcement on Saturday, June 6:
“Is there a possibility that they could have given Surya a bit more time? And if you feel he’s not walking into your XI, (take the call). Could he have been given that big England series to ask himself to be proving 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 hailed Suryakumar’s sacking as a ‘landmark day’ and urged the selectors to stick to the same precedent in the future as well. He added:
“Can we put big stalwarts in his shoes? 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’ve no doubts with regard to that. But this is quite a landmark day in selection if you ask me because this will be taken as some sort of a precedent when the next time such a thing ever comes up.”
The former India cricketer emphasized that all players must be treated in the same manner to maintain a healthy environment in the dressing room.
“There are players who are treated really well, and there are players who are not being treated the same way as someone else. This is not a direct comparison with one and one. All I’m saying is this should be the way everyone is treated going forward, and it cannot change. Once that happens in a team sport, if one is treated better than the other, there’s always going to be the other one looking over his shoulder and saying, ‘Hey, you know what, do I feel as special as he does?’ And if the answer is no, there is going to be a few rumblings within the team environment,” he elaborated.
Suryakumar enjoyed a memorable stint as India’s T20I captain. He was unbeaten in bilateral T20I series as the skipper, and his fantastic record also included successful Asia Cup 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns.
Amid Suryakumar form concerns, the selectors roped in Shreyas Iyer as India’s new T20I captain. He returned to the side after a gap of over two years.
“Everyone deserves the chance to go wrong” – Ravichandran Ashwin’s take on Suryakumar Yadav’s sacking
Ashwin further cited examples of Australia and England, suggesting that Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes would have lost captaincy based on form had they led their respective teams to a T20 World Cup title. He reckoned that players deserve a chance to go wrong and they merit an extra cushion after an ICC triumph.
The 39-year-old said during the same discussion:
“Pat Cummins, the white-ball skipper for Australia, doesn’t play a lot of white-ball cricket, but whenever there’s a squad picked, Pat Cummins comes back as the leader. There is a value for leadership. If you talk about Ben Stokes, if Ben Stokes was in Suryakumar Yadav’s position, and if he had captained England to a T20 World Cup victory, would he have been left out because his form has not been great? I just think everyone deserves the chance to go wrong. Just that one extra bit of a chance when the team has won a World Cup.”
Ashwin also mentioned that the members of India‘s T20 World Cup 2026-winning squad would be wondering why they were overlooked for the leadership position after Suryakumar’s removal. He reckoned that being an IPL title-winning skipper worked in Iyer’s favor. He remarked:
“I am all for that (Shreyas returning to the T20I team), but if I am one of the other 14 members in that T20 World Cup-winning side, I’m looking at one another and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve been here for a while now. Haven’t we done enough to warrant a position as a captain?’
“The one thing that’s probably worked in favor for Shreyas is that he’s won an IPL as a skipper for KKR in the recent past. I wouldn’t put any black mark on the fact that he’s been a wonderful captain in the IPL, got a lot of tactics right, but that said, there are team ethos that need to be well in place,” Ashwin added.
India’s two-match series against Ireland kicks off in Belfast on June 26. The second game will take place on June 28 at the same venue. Following the games, Shreyas Iyer and Co. will tour England for a three-match T20I series, beginning July 1 at Chester-le-Street.
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai
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