Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin The selectors’ decision to exclude has been questioned Suryakumar Yadav From India’s T20I setup, called it a “historic” and “ruthless” call and suggested that the World Cup-winning captain deserved more time to prove himself. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced India’s T20 squad for the tour of England and Ireland, with Shreyas Iyer named as captain and Tilak Verma as vice-captain.The decision cost Suryakumar both the captaincy and his place in the team, less than three months after leading India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title.Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the move was based on form and the team’s plans for the next T20 World Cup cycle. However, Ashwin feels Suryakumar has earned the opportunity to stake one final claim for himself, especially in the upcoming England series.Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said that he was surprised by how the decision was taken and believed that Suryakumar’s contribution as captain should also have been taken into account.“Look, I think it’s a very interesting precedent, if I can say so. I just want to put myself in Suryakumar Yadav’s shoes and think for an example how he might be feeling at the moment. I’m sure every player has the right to be disappointed at being dropped from the team and if he’s feeling bad about it then that’s fair, but on the whole occasion, the way it’s been done, I’m a little apprehensive about the whole thing.”“Because I’m thinking in my mind, okay, I’m a T20 World Cup-winning captain. I’m just putting myself in Surya’s shoes and thinking about it. Obviously, my batting form has let me down in the last 18 months or 15 months or whatever. I am not in the best form I could be. But then I managed to win the T20 World Cup for the country. It wasn’t the greatest World Cup as a batsman, but certainly, like everyone else in the team – the coach, the vice-captain, the best performing batsman, the best performing bowler – he has also been the best performing captain, right? He has played his role.“Ashwin said he understands the long-term vision of the selectors but feels Suryakumar deserves more support after winning the World Cup.“I watched Ajit’s press conference and I liked what he said: What are we planning for the next two years, which is a good way to look at it. But is there a possibility that they could have given Surya a little more time? And if you feel he is not in your XI, could he have been given the big England series to prove himself as a batsman that he belongs in that place? I think after achieving such a big feat in his career He deserved it.“Ashwin said that this decision can become a reference point for future selection calls involving captains.“Is there any instance where a T20 World Cup-winning captain has been dropped without any ultimatum? I’m sure there would have been communication. I have no doubt about that. But if you ask me, it’s quite a historic day in selection, because the next time something like this comes up, it will be taken as some kind of precedent. And let’s not forget, T20 is a high-risk game where batsmen are expected to save their wickets. Those extra limitations Line up to score. You want them to play cricket where the risk is high and so my question is: could a slightly better deal have been made with the captain of the reigning champions?