'Just Because Your Favourite Isn't...': R Ashwin 'Slams' Criticism Towards Indian Players
Fans have criticised inclusions of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav [Twitter]
India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be played from August 30 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, was picked in New Delhi on August 21.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have recovered from their respective injuries and were named in the squad for the tournament. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav are also a part of the squad, a decision that surprised a few people.
Suryakumar Yadav's inclusion has been debated upon, as he hasn't been able to replicate his T20I success in ODIs. While Yadav is currently the world's number one ranked batsman in the shortest format, he has struggled in the 50-over format.
The middle order batter has played 26 ODIs so far, from which he has a batting average of 24.33. Comparatively, he has an average of 46.02 and a strike rate of 172.70 from 53 matches in the shortest format.
As for Varma, it is being argued that it is too early for the youngster to be picked in the squad for the Asia Cup, given that he has played a solitary international series for India so far, which was in the T20I format.
Amidst the criticism towards both the Mumbai Indians batsmen, Ravichandran Ashwin has asked fans to not degrade any player due to personal favouritism.
"The selectors know what they are doing. In a huge country like India, when you select a squad, there will be some key players who will be missing the cut. So, just because your favourite is not there in the squad, you should not degrade the others," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Tilak, who was India's standout batter in the series against West Indies, has not been able to replicate his performance in the ongoing series against Ireland. Ashwin, however, feels that Tilak has shown great intent from the start of his international career and needs backing of the selectors and fans.
"Tilak hasn't scored much in this Ireland series so far. But he is showing unreal intent from the first ball. And this youngster is coming to bat with a clear mind. Since he is bringing some freshness into the squad, they have backed him for that backup slot. Similar to Surya," Ashwin added.
India will open their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, and it'll be interesting to see if either of the two batters - Suryakumar or Varma gets an opportunity in the first match.
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