India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin came out in support of the BCCI selectors after noticing trolls targeting the men's team picked for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.
While most are praising the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for picking a strong 17-member squad for the six-nation tournament, a section of fans have been posting negative comments about the players after not seeing their favourite cricketer's name in the list.
Ashwin in fact, is one of the big names who was overlooked for selection along with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan and Rinku Singh.
Ashwin feels the rivalry between fans during the Indian Premier League has resulted in his atmosphere of hate towards the Indian team whenever fans don't see their favourite players name in the national side.
IPL fans engaging in verbal war
"When you get into the World Cup, we should see all our players as representatives of India. Once IPL gets over, put a cloth, move on, and once the player plays for India, accept that he played really well in the IPL. Fans are engaging in war even after IPL," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"Let us say, SKY is batting along side Virat Kohli in a crucial chase. Even if you are not a Mumbai Indians fan you will appreciate Suryakumar and will want him to take us home, right?".
He also justified the selections of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav in the Asia Cup squad despite them not performing with the bat in the recent matches they played.
Varma scored 0 and 1 in the first two T20Is in Ireland while Surya averages just over 24 from 26 ODIs but both have been given a chance to prove themselves in the Asia Cup.
Ashwin backs Tilak Varma, Surya's selection
"Tilak hasn't scored much in this Ireland series so far. But he is showing unreal intent from the first ball. And this youngsters is coming to bat with a clear mind. Since he is bringing some freshness into the squad, they have backed him for that backup slot. Similar with Surya.
"He has that X-factor and that's why the team is backing him to come good in the ODI format as well. We will go back in time to see how we have won World Cups. be it MS Dhoni or any other captain, they have backed their players to come good.
"Of course, if you want to have a for and against debate for dropping or selecting player, you can have a healthy debate. We all know how good a player Suryakumar Yadav has been. His impact, what a match-winner he has been, and he has been our go-to T20 player. I think this is all IPL warfare," Ashwin added.
