Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin reckons the selection door is not completely closed for former Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav. SKY was ignored for the UK tour as the selectors decided to back Shreyas Iyer as India’s new T20I skipper.
The decision took a lot of experts by surprise as Yadav had led India to glory in the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, SKY’s last 18 months form was a concern and led to his exclusion.
Barring scoring a match-winning knock against the USA in the team’s opening clash of the T20I showpiece, SKY could not do much of notice in the tournament. Furthermore, Yadav could only manage 270 runs in 13 matches of IPL 2026 for MI.
Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “Where is he going to play? If he shows good form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he can make a comeback, why not? Captaincy is difficult right now. He should make a comeback as a batter. He has two tournaments now. He needs to perform in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and then in the IPL. We cannot close the door on anyone. But the way he was removed from the team, I really doubt it.”
On the other hand, Ashwin believes Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t treated properly. Yadav was also dropped from the T20I team after he managed only 12 wickets in 10 matches for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
He concluded, “The big thing is that Kuldeep and Bumrah will come back. I’m waiting to see Bumrah’s form and bowling because that is very important for Indian cricket. That is a big boost.
“Virat and Rohit will play with their experience, but Bumrah and Kuldeep are huge factors. Kuldeep has not been treated very well. I really hope he gets treated very well. Varun Chakaravarthy is not there, so I hope they get to use him as an attacking option.”
India and England will next take on each other in a three-match ODI series, starting Tuesday at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

