India's Ravichandran Ashwin, who isn't part of the Asia Cup 2023 touring party, was very angry with all the discussion
Ever since the announcement of India's Asia Cup 2023 has been made, debates have been all over the social media as well as other television broadcasts. The debate mostly has been who should have made it and who did not. While the expected names got a call-up in the Asia Cup 2023 squad, few 'big names' missed the plane.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin, who isn't part of the touring party, was very angry with all the discussion. Ashwin spoke about the two players who selected for the marquee tournament starting later this month.
Among them is Tilak Varma, who is yet to play an ODI for India, and Suryakumar Yadav, who has had a rocky patch in the 50-over format.
"Tilak hasn't scored much in this Ireland series so far. But he is showing unreal intent from the first ball. And this youngsters 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 with Surya," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"He has that x-factor and that's why the team is backing him to come good in the ODI format as well. We will go back in time to see how we have won World Cups. be it MS Dhoni or any other captain, they have backed their players to come good. Of course, if you want to have a for and against debate for dropping or selecting player, you can have a healthy debate. We all know how good a player Suryakumar Yadav has been. His impact, what a match-winner he has been, and he has been our go-to T20 player. I think this is all IPL warfare."
Ashwin went on to state that IPL fandom shouldn't make Indian fans nearsighted.
"When you get into the World Cup, we should see all our players as representatives of India. Once IPL gets over, put a cloth, move on, and once the player plays for India, accept that he played really well in the IPL. Fans are engaging in war even after IPL," he said.
"Let us say, SKY is batting along side Virat Kohli in a crucial chase. Even if you are not a Mumbai Indians fan you will appreciate Suryakumar and will want him to take us home, right?
"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."
India start their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Colombo.