'Suryakumar Yadav should make a comeback as a batter' - R Ashwin wants discarded Indian stalwart to be recalled after T20I series loss to England

Ravichandran Ashwin opined that the door shouldn't be closed for Suryakumar Yadav's comeback to India's T20 setup. His remark came after India lost back-to-back T20I series against Ireland and England.

India had remained unbeaten in 16 consecutive T20I series and tournaments before their 0-2 defeat to Ireland last month. Things went from bad to worse in England, as Shreyas Iyer and Co. lost 0-4 to England in the five-match series after the opening encounter was washed out.

Suryakumar, who was replaced as T20I captain by Shreyas, had also been dropped from the side ahead of the Ireland tour, despite leading India to glory in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. While Ashwin believes that making a comeback as India's T20I captain would be difficult for Suryakumar, he backed the Mumbai legend to return to the team as a batter by performing well in domestic cricket.

"Where is he going to play? If he shows good form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he can make a comeback, why not? Captaincy is difficult right now. He should make a comeback as a batter. He has two tournaments now. He needs to perform in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and then in the IPL. We cannot close the door on anyone. But the way he was removed from the team, I really doubt it," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"Has not been treated very well" - R Ashwin's huge remark on star Indian spinner

Ashwin said that the Indian team management has not treated Kuldeep Yadav well. The former India spinner hoped that Kuldeep would be handled better during the impending three-match ODI series between India and England. According to Ashwin, Kuldeep and Jasprit Bumrah will be key to the tourists' chances of doing well in the series.

"The big thing is that Kuldeep and Bumrah will come back. I'm waiting to see Bumrah's form and bowling because that is very important for Indian cricket. That is a big boost. Virat and Rohit will play with their experience, but Bumrah and Kuldeep are huge factors. Kuldeep has not been treated very well. I really hope he gets treated very well. Varun Chakaravarthy is not there, so I hope they get to use him as an attacking option."