Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has backed the team’s decision of putting the weight behind Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. India picked the incumbent pair of Samson and Sharma in the two-match T20I series against Ireland and Ashwin reckons it was the right call.
While Abhishek scored 49 runs in the two matches, Samson could only manage five runs in as many games. On the other hand, Sooryavanshi had received his maiden T20I call-up after scoring 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of 237.30.
Ashwin said there should not be any priority or favoritism while picking the playing XI for the national team.
“We lost two games. So are Sanju and Abhishek bad players? We know what they can do. A team should have to play a player because the team needs the player. A player should not be played because he has to play because of other reasons, his stardom, or what has happened over the last 3-4 months. If Suryavanshi is in the XI in England tomorrow, a lot of people will switch on the TV. But who will you drop? A team’s coach has to look at all three like a father. He cannot have a priority or favorites,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The former off-spinner said the team’s think tank needs to make the right call as far as Sooryavanshi’s selection is concerned.
“Just because Vaibhav is 15 or 16, you cannot make a decision that he is a small kid and is my favorite. The youngest kid in the house is always the favorite. But that is not how it works. You need to make the right decision,” he said.
Ashwin said Sooryavanshi should get more exposure with the team before he makes his debut at the top level.
“I am still holding onto it. Give Suryavanshi some time. But then I said you don’t have a choice. The way he played the IPL, you need to give him a chance somewhere. I am still saying he should be in the squad, and they did that. And it is not degrading. People say you got him to serve drinks. Do you know how much learning he would have gotten? From when did these ethos change? I used to be a ball boy before, too,” he stated.
India will next take on England in a five-match T20I series.
