Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should have been included in India's T20I team for the visit to Ireland and England, according to ex-India cricketer R Ashwin. He countered that the team management shouldn't have accelerated his debut due to pressure from social media.

Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to make his India debut when he was named in the second T20I of the just-finished five-match series against England. However, he managed scores of 14, 13, and 15 in three games before he was pulled from the starting lineup for the fifth match.

According to Ashwin, the visits ought to have served as the teenage batting sensation's "internship," teaching him how to adjust to various circumstances.

"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? 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 on the team. If I were 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 on his YouTube channel.

Ashwin gave his own example and mentioned how he was benched on an England tour despite being in wonderful form. He called the team management a temple where the outside noise cannot influence decisions.

"There have been times where I could have played, but there have been times where it was a 50-50 decision, and there were times where it was the right decision. I came to England with very good form, but the coach and captain spoke to me, and then I felt maybe they were doing it for the combination they wanted.

It is the team's decision. The team management is like a temple. If the outside noise is allowed to enter the team, whose fault is it? How can the outside pressure disturb the team? If the outside pressure is disturbing the team management, then think about the players," Ashwin added.

R Ashwin emphasized that losing is the true test for team management. He emphasized how India continued to shift its stance rather than supporting the same people.

"The point is, when you are winning, there is no challenge; the team and the players will perform automatically. But when the team loses, I'm looking at it from this perspective. From the first match against Ireland to the last game, how many games have we played with the same XI? There have been changes in every game. Sanju Samson out, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out, Sanju Samson in,” he concluded.

India and England will now lock horns in a three-match ODI series, beginning Tuesday, July 14, at Edgbaston in Birmingham.