'Team first': R Ashwin defends Gautam Gambhir in keeping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of India lineup vs Ireland in 1st T20I

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'Team first': R Ashwin defends Gautam Gambhir in keeping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of India lineup vs Ireland in 1st T20I originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Ravichandran Ashwin publicly defended Gautam Gambhir's decision to keep Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out of India's first T20I vs Ireland.
• He argued in-form openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma should not be dropped to accommodate hype.
• Ashwin said sitting out and serving the team is a valuable role for the young prodigy.

R Ashwin defends Gautam Gambhir in keeping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out​

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's absence from India's lineup in Belfast sparked an angry reaction online, and the criticism only intensified once Ireland sealed a stunning 34-run win. Ravichandran Ashwin has now waded into the row, and he has come down firmly on the side of the team management.

Speaking to senior journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel, the former off-spinner challenged the assumption that the teenager was a certainty.

"Why was the whole of India thinking that Vaibhav Suryavanshi was going to play?" Ashwin asked. "No one makes a team for an individual."

He then anchored his defence in the coach's philosophy. "What did Gautam Gambhir say? Team first, there should not be any superstar culture," Ashwin noted.

While accepting that superstars help sell the game, he asked pointedly, "What mistake did Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma make?"

MORE: Has Ireland ever beaten India in T20Is?

No room for superstar culture​

Ashwin mocked the notion that India should reshape a settled top order to fit one name in. "Do we have to send three openers at once? Call Shubman Gill as well because he has scored a lot of runs. Sai Sudharsan has also scored runs," he said. His sarcasm sharpened the point.

"Send all five of them together; all of them will play in rotation," Ashwin added, underlining how crowded India's batting options have become. With several in-form players competing for the same slots, forcing a debut would mean punishing somebody who has earned their place.

For Ashwin, time on the bench is far from wasted. "There is a lot of value in sitting outside and watching the match," Ashwin explained.

"Let him sit outside, service the team, and carry drinks; there will be a lot of things to learn from that as well. A great player is not made overnight."

That advice carried a neat irony on Friday. While India slumped to defeat, Sooryavanshi spent the day exactly as Ashwin described, carrying drinks onto the field alongside Ravi Bishnoi as he soaked up his first taste of life with the senior side.

MORE: India under Shreyas Iyer become latest victims of T20 World Cup champions' curse

A long career awaits​

Ashwin then turned to the long game, invoking the most revered name in Indian cricket. "Maybe once Vaibhav Suryavanshi gets playing, he will never be dropped. What happened with Sachin Tendulkar could happen with him as well," he suggested of the prodigy's potential.

His conclusion reframed the snub as a gift rather than a setback. "But my point is, he will get empathy by sitting out. It could be a long-serving career for India. Sitting outside is also a role," Ashwin said, urging patience over a rushed introduction.

I kept your quote spelling of "Suryavanshi" inside the quotes and used the headline spelling in my own prose. Say the word if you want that standardised either way.


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