"Lucky That Virat Kohli Retired": R Ashwin's Namedrops Vaibhav Sooryavanshi In Explosive Take On India's T20I Side
Ravichandran Ashwin speculated on Team India's dilemma in selecting openers for the T20I squad.
IPL 2026 has witnessed a number of phenomenal Indian openers make their mark, with most of the top run-scorers of the tournament being Indians. From Virat Kohli to Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Indian openers have played numerous match-winning knocks in the ongoing edition. The rise of 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has been particularly spectacular, with several experts touting him for an India T20I debut. Amid the BCCI's dilemma in fixing the T20I openers for Team India, legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed that perhaps it is lucky for the selectors that Virat Kohli has retired from the format in international cricket.
Ashwin pointed out how Sooryavanshi's rise has made Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal's road back to India's T20I team doubly harder.
"There are so many contenders for opening. You think Virat Kohli doesn't deserve to be there? He is doing so well, but maybe it's lucky for the Indian cricket that he has retired. Otherwise, he would also have been in this conundrum," Ashwin said, speaking on his YouTube channel.
"A small kid (Sooryavanshi) has a strike rate of 220. He is special, maybe more special than Shubman Gill. Sanju Samson did well at the T20 World Cup, and nobody can drop him. Abhishek Sharma has been doing great for SRH.
"Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn't done that well this IPL, but last year, he was a wonderful T20 player. We do not talk about him," Ashwin added.
Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan formed India's opening pair at their victorious T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, with Ishan Kishan also playing at the top in a few games.
However, IPL 2026 has sprung many more contenders. Sooryavanshi and Shubman Gill have enjoyed outstanding seasons, while explosive stars like Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh will also be in the minds of the selectors.
Virat Kohli
Ravichandran Ashwin
India Cricket Team