The constant chopping and changing in the Indian team has left a lot to be desired. Yes, emerging stars like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi do need playing time and opportunities to continue their growth, but is it fair to drop a player like Sanju Samson – the man who was India’s Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this year? Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the most passionate cricketers turned pundit, hit the nail on the head as he called out the dangerous ‘chop-and-change’ culture he is seeing in the Indian team.
Speaking to Vimal Kumar in a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin staged a skit on the video-blogging platform, explaining what his conversation would be with the selectors who had dropped him from the tour of Zimbabwe:
“I don’t want any rest. If I want to, I will bring my mother, father, and wife along with me to Zimbabwe. I want to play there. I have never been to Bulawayo. They are a proud cricketing nation. I saw in 1999, Zimbabwe beat India in the World Cup. I want to take revenge for that. Please take me there, I don’t want to rest.”
Adopting a more serious tone as the conversation progressed, Ashwin asked who was going to be the next player to be dropped, now that India have lost two games in a row against England.
“Who is next?” Ashwin asked bluntly, questioning who would be dropped next now that the team have lost two consecutive matches against England.
“After those two losses in Ireland and a loss of form, they have made Sanju Samson sit out. Now, we have lost two in England. So, who is next? This is really wrong. I really hope the Indian cricketers don’t find themselves in an insecure spot. I previously spoke about Suryakumar Yadav [being dropped from the squad]. Players will go insular; they will start thinking about themselves more than the team. In T20 cricket, that is disastrous. If batters start thinking ‘if I don’t score runs, I might be benched’, then they will start playing for their places. That is extremely dangerous.”
Ashwin said the culture being set in the Indian team is really dangerous, as it would prompt players to start playing for themselves rather than the team going forward. For the former India spinner, such an approach could be disastrous in T20Is.
“Imagine this situation. Let’s say Sanju Samson is given an opportunity again. He might start thinking for himself. And you can’t even say that is wrong. I really hope they find a measure to this.”
In response to the growing debate, India head coach Gautam Gambhir offered a different perspective:
“Regarding Sanju, we are very clear that what he has done for India has been phenomenal, and sometimes you just have to look at the form of a certain player. There is no hard and fast rule that he cannot make a comeback in this series.”
Ashwin also recalled Gambhir’s words about giving Sai Sudharsan a longer rope at the No. 3 spot in the India Test team. Ashwin asked why there’s a change in the approach for Samson, who hasn’t scored runs in only the last three to four games.
“What was said when the team management spoke about giving a long rope to Sai Sudharsan in Tests? They said, ‘You can’t judge a player in four matches.’ It has not even been a month since that was said. Amazing. But where has Sanju Samson fallen? Yes, you can’t treat all players in the same way. But, at least, you can give him two more opportunities. I am hoping this insecurity doesn’t spread through the team.”
“What is the meaning of rest? It’s not a written rule that opportunities need to be given on these tours. What does Sanju Samson play? He only plays T20Is, not Tests and ODIs. What’s the point of giving him rest? He can rest after the tour of Zimbabwe. He has a very nice place in Trivandrum. Why will he rest? He is just playing T20s. Why will he want to take rest? What else can I say? It’s unfair. But it is what it is.”
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