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Ravichandran Ashwin sympathizes with BCCI chairman Ajit Agarkar over the exclusion of Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, and Ruturaj Gaikwad from India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
R Ashwin explains why he doesn’t want to be an Indian selector.
Retired India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has explained why he doesn’t want to be in the BCCI selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar’s shoes.
The exclusion of stars like Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Ruturaj Gaikwad from India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad has sparked several discussions online. Agarkar has come under the radar for ignoring cricketers racking up runs in the domestic circuit.
Giving his take on the situation on his YouTube channel, Ashwin sympathized with Agarkar, the off-spinner and said, “I mean, I don’t want to be the chairman of selectors or team manager or be in this decision-making position.”
Speaking about India’s incredible talent pool, Ashwin highlighted why it is difficult to be the chairman of selectors.
“In the upcoming IPL season, if both Gill and Ruturaj score runs, it’s going to be a problem of plenty (for the selectors). As fans of the Indian cricket team, we are blessed to have a pool of such talented players,” he said.
Ashwin also explained players who can deliver in intense situations should get the nod in big tournaments.
“But, going forward, we must ensure that whatever the performances are, we will have to focus on pressure parameters for a big tournament.,” he said.
The veteran spinner felt that India needed cricketers who could lift the pressure off the team with their performances in ICC tournaments.
“We will have to give some weightage to players who do well under pressure. Because, in modern cricket, there are plenty of talented players who time the ball very well,” Ashwin added.
Ahead of the Champions Trophy squad announcement, several eyes were on Karun Nair, who put up several match-winning knocks for Vidarbha in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The 33-year-old scored 779 runs in eight innings, smashing five centuries and one fifty. He batted with a jaw-dropping average of 389.50 and a 124.04 strike rate.
His performances in the domestic circuit weren’t enough to seal his place in India’s official squad for the upcoming ICC event.
Sanju Samson, on the other hand, was a star performer during India’s four-match T20I series against South Africa last year. He finished as the bilateral tour’s second-highest scorer with 216 runs. Samson smashed two centuries in that series but didn’t get the nod for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
As for Ruturaj Gaikwad, the 27-year-old batter has featured for Maharashtra regularly in domestic cricket. He scored 194 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25 and currently boasts 307 runs in the 2025 Ranji Trophy.
