Ravichandran Ashwin, the legendary Indian spinner, suggested that there is no harm in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi warming the bench, as he is gaining experience by being with the squad. The former India player doubled on his comments after previously saying that the team management did the right thing by not playing him in the series opener against Ireland. After the loss in the opening T20I, Ashwin had stated that Sooryavanshi would get the desired learnings by offering water to the other members of the team.
However, his comment was taken out of context by some fans online, and the spinner faced brickbats from certain corners. Days later, Ashwin explained his stance, asking, “Since when has serving water to the other members of the team become a bad thing?”
Sooryavanshi, who hammered more than 700 runs in the IPL 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals, was expected to make his debut in the series against Ireland, but it wasn’t meant to be as the management stuck with the T20 World Cup-winning opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. The 15-year-old was then seen serving water during breaks in between the bowling innings.
“We need to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi time. The way he played in the IPL, obviously, you will have to play him at some point. He is that special. What I am saying is that carrying water is not degrading. Why do people think carrying water is a bad thing? When did the ethos of cricket change? In the 1990s and 2000s, I was a ballboy in Chennai, and I was so happy to carry water for the cricketers then,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“When did running into the field and giving a water bottle to Indian players become less?” he added.
What did Ashwin say earlier?
Earlier, Ashwin had stated that sitting on the sidelines would give Sooryavanshi perspective, and he would emerge as a better player from this experience.
“There is value in sitting outside and watching the game, too. Let him serve the team, help out, even bring water. There is a lot to learn from that experience,” Ashwin had said in a video earlier after the first T20I.
“A great player doesn’t become one overnight. Once Vaibhav starts playing, he might never be dropped; it could happen, just as it did with Sachin Tendulkar. But if he spends some time outside the playing XI first, he will gain empathy and a better understanding of the team environment. He has a long and illustrious career ahead of him. Sitting outside is also a role,” Ashwin had said after the first T20I of the series,” he added.
After the 2-0 series whitewash at the hands of Ireland, all eyes are on the five-match T20I series against England, beginning July 1. It remains to be seen whether Sooryavanshi gets a chance in the series opener. However, ahead of the contest, skipper Shreyas Iyer remained tight-lipped and hinted towards a long rope towards Sanju and Abhishek because of what they have done in the format for the past year or so.