Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned whether outside pressure and social media narratives are influencing India’s T20I selection decisions, lamenting the frequent team changes that have left both Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi caught in selection limbo during the ongoing England tour.

Sooryavanshi replaced Samson in the playing XI for the second T20I at Emirates Old Stafford on July 4, with the 15-year-old debutant scoring 14 runs. The constant flux between the two batters has sparked debate about team stability and the psychological impact on players caught in the shuffle.

“I’m still telling you Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 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?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed concern about how quickly Samson had been dropped, questioning what the World Cup Player of the Tournament would be thinking and how motivated he would be in training. The former spinner has backed Samson despite his recent poor form, arguing that a player who helped India win the World Cup deserves a longer rope.

“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?” Ashwin said.

If the outside pressure is disturbing the team management, then think about the players: Ashwin

The former Indian off-spinner also warned that the constant selection changes could damage the team’s morale.

“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. 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. 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,” Ashwin added.

Most concerning for Ashwin is India’s lack of consistency in team composition. He highlighted the frequent changes in personnel, especially at the top of the order.

“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. 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 Sooryavanshi in, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out, Sanju Samson in,” Ashwin remarked.

India now turn their attention to Zimbabwe, where they begin a three-match T20I series at the Harare Sports Club, scheduled to be held from July 23 to 26. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is retained for the Zimbabwe squad while Sanju Samson has been dropped, extending the saga of their fluctuating fortunes.

How did the 5th T20I between England and India go? – Review, Turning Points & more

England sealed victory by 56 runs in the fifth T20I against India at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday, July 11. With this victory, the Three Lions sealed a 4-0 sweep over the reigning T20 World Cup winners, taking top spot in the ICC T20I rankings. 

Being put into bat, the Englishmen were dented early with the loss of Phil Salt in the second over of the game. Jos Buttler was joined by Harry Brook, and the pair took the attack to the erring Indian bowlers. Buttler took his time to settle but soon joined Brook in the assault as the pair put on a 233-run stand off just 102 balls. Buttler notched up his second T20I century and first in England, falling for 131 off 64 balls. Brook remained unbeaten on 95 off 45 balls as the Three Lions put on a mammoth 257 for 3 in their 20 overs.

The returning Sanju Samson took the attack to the English bowlers and was joined by Ishan Kishan in the middle. The Three Lions kept picking up key wickets, not allowing the team in blue to settle into the game. Kishan scored a well-made 56 off 35 balls to keep India in the hunt but fell to Adil Rashid. Tilak Varma scored a quickfire 25-ball 53, which went in vain as England sealed a 56-run win, restricting India to a score of 201 for 8.

Top batting performance of the match: Jos Buttler

England’s experienced head Jos Buttler finally came to life in this series after a poor start to the series. He took his time to settle before launching a merciless assault on the hapless bowlers. He finished with his highest T20I score of 131 off just 64 balls. His innings was laced with 12 fours and eight sixes, and along with skipper Brook, he put up a 233-run partnership off 102 balls, the highest second-wicket stand in T20Is.

Top bowling performance of the match: Sam Curran

Sam Curran was the pick of the bowlers for England with figures of 3 for 36 from his four overs. He picked up the early wicket of Sanju Samson, who looked in good nick and could have posed trouble for the Three Lions. He came back in the death to pick up the wickets of batting all-rounders Shivam Dube and Suryansh Shedge.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• Jos Buttler: Second-highest individual T20I score for England: 131 (64)
• Jos Buttler & Harry Brook: Highest partnership for the second wicket in T20Is: 233 (102)
• Jos Buttler & Harry Brook: Second-highest partnership in T20Is by a full-member side: 233 (102)
• England: Highest T20I total vs India: 257/3
• Adil Rashid: Played in his 150th T20I match
• Most matches lost by India in a T20I series: 4

Who won the Player of the Match and Player of the Series?

England’s Buttler was named the Player of the Match after notching up his highest T20I score of 131, taking the attack to India in merciless fashion.

Skipper Brook was named Player of the Series as the leading run-scorer with 229 runs at a blistering strike rate of 214.02. He scored two half-centuries in the final two games, an unbeaten 79 off just 35 balls in the fourth T20I and an unbeaten 95 off 45 balls in the fifth T20I.

When is the next match?

This was the final match of the T20I series. The first game of the three-match ODI series between the two teams will be played on July 14 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. 

England completed their dominant run in the five-match T20I series against India with yet another comfortable win in the final fixture. A 45-run margin is what the Englishmen could secure in the fifth and final encounter at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, on Saturday, July 11, to complete a 4-0 whitewash against the Men in Blue.

England set a target of 258 after Jos Buttler and Harry Brook showed no mercy against the Indian bowlers, with the wicketkeeper-batter putting his vintage class on display. India lost their opener Abhishek Sharma early, and while wickets came at regular intervals, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan gave the Indian fans a hopeless hope of extracting a game out of the huge target to chase.

ENG vs IND: Talking Points

1. Jos cuts butter through hot knife

It had been a while since the world saw the best of Jos Buttler with the bat. But Saturday night is what Buttler chose to screen a housefull for the fans, playing one of the best innings of his T20I career. Playing for 64 deliveries, the experienced campaigner smashed a mammoth 131 runs, which included eight sixes and 12 fours as well. This was also the second T20I century for the veteran and also his highest score in the shortest format of the game.

2. Indians fail across departments

With the ball, with the bat, and in the field, India failed to impress. First they conceded 257 runs in 20 overs, which is also the highest score for England in the format. They did sloppy work in the field. Shivam Dube dropped Harry Brook and paid the price as the English skipper made an unbeaten 95. When it came to the run chase, the Indians were nowhere near the required run rate, and it only kept climbing as nothing really stood out for the Men in Blue. Their performance in the format has certainly come under the scanner.

3. Three Lions become No. 1-ranked T20I team

A complete whitewash of 4-0 against the Men in Blue helped Brook & Co. become the No. 1 T20I team in the latest update of the ICC Team Rankings. This series also marked the first time that India won a bilateral T20I series against the Indian team, and the dominance they showed throughout against the three-time T20 World Cup-winning side and the current world champions made the victory an even more remarkable one.

ENG vs IND: Who Said What?

Jos Buttler, Player of the Match, said

“Obviously delighted. Been a bit of a lean patch. Glad to be back at my best. Played well in the IPL, felt good about my game. Something different about an England shirt and wanting to contribute. Harry’s just an incredible player. Great to be at the other end and watch. Got to give yourself the time. Was a brilliant batting surface. We needed them as well, needed as many runs as possible. Great team performance. To win 4-0 against India is fantastic.”

Shreyas Iyer, losing captain, said

“There’s a lot to take. Especially the conditions, the awareness. It’s all about adaptation I feel. Conditions kept changing from match one. As professionals we need to learn. It’s important that we communicate as much as possible about what we could’ve done better. Fielding plays a key role in winning matches. When you come overseas, the dimensions of the grounds are different. Need to adapt. Especially on the track, which was a belter, we could’ve probably bluffed.

“But we also dropped a couple of catches. Could’ve been chasing 220-225. Unfortunately we couldn’t get that opportunity. We lost (wickets) in clusters. I felt their execution in bowling was spot on. And they’ve played a lot of cricket over here. Sensational batting by Buttler and then Harry came in.. we dropped a couple of catches and that could’ve changed the rhythm of the game.”

Harry Brook, winning captain, said

“We had a lot of fun. Ran well, hit boundaries and complemented each other. We were just trying to get ourselves to get in the best position we could. Cricket is a simple game we complicate. Just watched the ball and played the best shot for it. I’m striking the ball nicely.

“We’ve got ourselves to World No. 1, which was a game after a couple of games. All boys are delighted and we deserve to celebrate. You’ve to create pace on the ball while hitting spill. We have spinners with nous and have the ability to make batters think. We’ve bowled a lot of spin and they’ve been exceptional. We’ve communicated really well in the last 12 months and we’ve executed things really well.”