India are entering a new T20I cycle, and the selectors have wasted little time in making bold decisions despite the team’s dominance in the previous phase, which culminated in a T20 World Cup title. Suryakumar Yadav, who captained India to that triumph, has been stripped of the captaincy and has also lost his place in the T20I side, with Shreyas Iyer taking over as skipper. Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has rapidly entered India’s plans following a stunning IPL campaign, while Rinku Singh has fallen out of favour. Rajat Patidar, despite leading RCB to successive IPL titles, continues to remain outside the national T20 setup. The leadership group has also undergone a reshuffle, with Tilak Varma being appointed vice-captain for the new cycle. Axar Patel, who previously held the role, has been removed as India begin a fresh chapter and build towards the next major ICC events.
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has launched a scathing assessment of Tilak, questioning both his recent IPL performances and suitability for a prominent role in India’s T20 setup. Drawing a sharp comparison with Patidar, Srikkanth argued that Tilak lacks the explosive power and match-winning impact required in modern T20 cricket, insisting that the Mumbai Indians batter has failed to produce the kind of game-changing innings that Patidar regularly delivers.
“He is not in form, and he doesn’t have the big-hitting capacity. He is not a tearaway batter. He can play shots, but he can’t demolish attacks like a Phil Salt or Rajat Patidar. Tilak Varma can’t smash the bowling like Rajat Patidar,” he said. “He hasn’t done well for MI in the last two to three IPLs. He can’t take the opposition out of a contest. At his position, he has to play impactful knocks like Patidar,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“Washington Sundar doesn’t deserve a place”
Srikkanth’s criticism did not stop with Tilak; he also raised serious concerns about Washington Sundar’s place in the squad. Questioning the all-rounder’s credentials. The former India captain argued that Sundar is neither bowling regularly for his IPL franchise nor making a significant impact with the ball for India, making it difficult to justify his status as a guaranteed selection.
“Washington Sundar doesn’t deserve a place in the team. He doesn’t even bowl for GT and is playing as a middle-order batter. So he is a stand-by middle-order batter for India as he’s not bowling at all. He doesn’t bowl for GT and rarely bowls even for India. So it’s a question mark as to how Sundar is a certainty in the side as an all-rounder,” he said.
