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Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin rejected the notion of forming two distinct T20I squads for Team India, claiming that senior national team caps could not be “distributed for free” and that instead, “A” team tours should take place to offer players greater exposure.
Speaking on “Ash Ki Baat,” Ashwin rejected the idea of a second-string Team India participating, particularly against associate nations, with squads made up of up-and-coming IPL players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, among others.
“What is the value of the India cap then? What respect will it have? You need a moment of pride to wear the India cap. Why are you playing cricket? Because you are representing so many Indian public, they are watching, everyone praises our cricket, and you wish to debut in front of your fans and play all the formats. All of this definitely plays on the mind. It happens a lot now that people are making their debuts somewhere or the other, and people forget about it,” Ashwin said.
“There must be a value for the India cap. If you want to give them exposure, send them on India A tours. You cannot just dish out India caps just like that. Telecast the India A tours as well, people will watch and have fun. But you cannot just distribute India caps for free. It has to be valued,” he added.
Indian T20 calendar after the IPL
Despite the attention turning to the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, Team India will have a significant quantity of T20 cricket after the IPL. From June 6 to June 20, India`s international schedule will begin with three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a single Test match against Afghanistan.
They will play two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in Ireland from June 26–28. Following that, they will play five T20Is with England from July 1–11 before moving on to a three-match ODI series. Then, India will tour Zimbabwe for a three-match Twenty20 International series from July 23–26.
They will play five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against the West Indies from October 6 to 17, following three ODIs at home. India will play three ODIs and T20Is against Sri Lanka at home from December 13–27 to wrap up the year.
(With ANI Input)
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