England absolutely dismantled the visiting Indian side during their recent short-format fixtures. A clean sweep. Four-nil losses leave scars, and the constant chopping and changing of the batting order didn't help anyone establish a proper rhythm. Fans on social media screamed for heads to roll after the first few matches, prompting panic inside the dressing room.
Selectors scrambled for answers on lively English pitches, which threw every pre-planned strategy straight into the bin. Nobody knew their role. This chaotic approach created a toxic atmosphere where established players and incoming youngsters felt entirely disposable.
The decision to swap top-order batsmen after just one failure highlighted a total lack of clear thinking. Dropping a proven match-winner for a 15-year-old schoolboy during the second match at Emirates Old Trafford smelled of desperation. Predictably, the teenage debutant looked out of his depth.
Sanju Samson vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Ravichandran Ashwin took to his personal video channel to question whether the national selectors actually possess a backbone. He asked if internet outrage now dictates who gets to wear the national cap. Dropping an experienced player immediately after he won a global tournament sends a terrible message to the rest of the squad. How can anyone train properly when they know one bad score finishes their career? Ashwin noted that a proper team management setup must shield players from the public mob rather than feeding them to it.
He viewed the teenage prodigy as a massive talent who should be enjoying an educational apprenticeship away from the spotlight. Throwing him into a high-intensity international tour against a rampant England side makes zero sense. Ashwin remembered his own playing days when selectors successfully ignored the loud internet experts who demanded his exclusion from the Test squad.
The leadership back then actually trusted their own internal plans. Giving in to the whims of casual online supporters simply destroys player confidence. The messy situation regarding Sanju Samson vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shows that the current hierarchy cares more about pleasing the internet than winning cricket matches.
"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.
"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.
