R Ashwin feels that Suryakumar Yadav could have been given more time to prove himself as a batter instead of being dropped from India's T20I side altogether, just two months after captaining the team to a T20 World Cup title.
As a batter, Suryakumar had a lukewarm T20 World Cup, scoring 242 runs at a strike rate of 136.72, and couldn't hit form in the IPL that followed, scoring 270 runs at 147.54.
"Look, I think it's a very interesting precedent," Ashwin said on ESPNcricinfo's video show. "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, the way it's been done, I'm a little apprehensive about the whole thing. Because in my head I'm thinking, okay... I'm just putting myself in Surya's shoes and thinking about it. 'Okay, 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 of great World Cups as a batter but surely, just like everyone else in the team - the coach, the vice-captain, the best-performing batter, the best-performing bowler - he's also quite been the best-performing skipper, right? He's played his part."
Ashwin added that such a ruthless call will set a precedent for future selections. "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," Ashwin said. "I have no doubts with regards to that. But this is quite a landmark day in selection. Because this will be taken as some sort of a precedent when the next time such a thing ever comes up."
Shreyas Iyer has been appointed Suryakumar's successor, despite not playing a T20I for India for more than two years. During the period, however, he enjoyed IPL success, leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title in 2024 and then captaining Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final in 2025. Ashwin said that it will be challenging for Shreyas to be parachuted into the team as the new captain.
"Very recently, we had this conversation on Shreyas Iyer deserving to get into the T20 side," Ashwin said. "I'm all for that. But I'm again, wondering... 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. I wouldn't put any black mark on the fact that he's been a wonderful captain in the IPL. He's got a lot of tactics right. But, that said, there are team ethos that need to be well in place and well in mark. Axar Patel was the big choice as a vice-captain. And if the choice of vice-captain cannot step up into being the next captain, then we are going back in time and again, questioning those sort of things."