‘Can you pick teams succumbing to social media pressure?’: R Ashwin’s big statement on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s selection in UK tour originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- R Ashwin says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi deserved selection but shouldn’t have been rushed in.
- He compares it to his own experience of being benched despite good form.
- Ashwin criticised India’s constant XI changes throughout the losing series.
R Ashwin questions if India picks teams to please social media
R Ashwin believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi rightfully earned his place in India’s T20I squad for the Ireland and England tour, but he’s raised concerns over whether the youngster’s debut was rushed due to online pressure rather than cricketing reasons.
The 15-year-old made his T20I bow in the second match of the recently concluded five-match series against England. He went on to score 14, 13 and 15 across his three appearances before being dropped from the lineup for the fifth and final game.
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According to Ashwin, tours like these should function as a learning period, almost like an internship, allowing the teenager time to adjust gradually to unfamiliar conditions rather than being thrown straight into the deep end.
Speaking on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat, he said: “I’m still telling you, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is an incredible player. If I were the selector, I would have also picked him. But let him take his time. This is called an internship, right?
“I sometimes thought that I should have played in this era. When I went for the Test tour, a lot of people on social media said Ashwin has to play. How can you drop him? But I still didn’t play in the team. If I was out, they kept me out because the team management knows what is needed for the team. You are saying that you can pick teams by succumbing to social media pressure?”
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Ashwin draws from his own experience to explain Sooryavanshi’s case
Ashwin recalled a similar situation from his own career, revealing that he was once left out of an England tour despite carrying excellent form into the series, purely because the team management prioritised a specific combination.
“There have been times where I could have played, but there have been times where it was a 50-50 decision, and there were times where it was the right decision,” he began.
“I came to England with very good form, but the coach and captain spoke to me, and then I felt maybe they were doing it for the combination they wanted.”
He questioned how a team could function properly if outside pressure was allowed to dictate selection calls
“It is the team’s decision. The team management is like a temple. If the outside noise is allowed to enter the team, whose fault is it? How can the outside pressure disturb the team? If the outside pressure is disturbing the team management, then think about the players.”
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Ashwin questions the constant chopping and changing
Ashwin also took aim at how India’s team management responded to the losses, pointing out the lack of consistency in selection throughout the tour.
“The point is, when you are winning, there is no challenge; the team and the players will perform automatically. But when the team loses, I’m looking at it from this perspective,” he said.
“From the first match against Ireland to the last game, how many games have we played with the same XI? There have been changes in every game. Sanju Samson out, Vaibhav Suryavanshi in, Vaibhav Suryavanshi out, Sanju Samson in.”
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Ashwin right to question the debatable selection calls
Ashwin’s comparison between backing young talent and succumbing to social media pressure is a fair distinction that often gets blurred in modern cricket discourse.
There’s a real difference between selecting a genuinely talented player and rushing them into high-pressure conditions simply because public sentiment demands it.
His broader point about constant lineup changes is equally valid; teams rarely find rhythm or identity when players are shuffled in and out after just one or two failures.
If India wants long-term stability, especially with young talents like Sooryavanshi, they need a clearer development pathway rather than reactive selection driven by short-term results or outside noise.
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