"This is not uncanny anymore" - Indian legend slams Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson after IND vs ENG 2025 T20Is

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently slammed out-of-form batters Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson. He criticized them for repeatedly being dismissed in the same manner during the recently concluded T20I series against England.

Surya has been excellent as India's T20I skipper, leading the side to a fourth consecutive series win since becoming the permanent captain. However, his batting form has dipped alarmingly, with an average of under 6 in the five matches against England. He hasn't crossed a score of 22 in his last eight T20I innings, averaging a dismal 6.75 in that stretch.

Meanwhile, Samson's dip in form has been more surprising, considering he had scored three centuries in his five previous T20I innings entering the England series. However, the stylish right-hander managed only 51 runs at an average of 10.20 in the five T20Is against England.

While Surya repeatedly fell to his usually reliable pick-up shot, Samson was undone by the short delivery in all five innings. Talking about the duo's form slump on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said [via Hindustan Times]:

"Sanju Samson and SKY getting out to the same ball, same field, same shot, same mistake, same dismissal. I can understand it happening in 1-2 games, but this is not uncanny anymore. Players should play with freedom, but our batters need to have better answers to the same question."

Ashwin further advised Surya to change his approach, considering his wealth of experience at the T20I level.

"Of course, his captaincy has been really good in this series. His captaincy has been on point, too. But he can allow his batting some much-needed breathing space. Suryakumar Yadav is a very experienced guy. One could say he was at the forefront of a change of guard of sorts. But it is time he changed his approach to his batting," he said.

Fortunately for India, the duo's struggles did not prevent them from pulling off a convincing 4-1 series win over England.

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"This is a problem of plenty, not embarrassment of many" - R Ashwin

Ashwin recently retired from international cricket [Credit: Getty]

Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Team India's incredible bench strength in his praise for Abhishek Sharma, who scored a majestic century in the fifth T20I against England.

The young opener scored his second T20I, reaching the milestone off just 37 deliveries and finishing on 135 off 54 balls.

"This is a problem of plenty, not embarrassment of many. Why are we embarrassed when we have the riches? Let's use terms that best exemplify our bench. Of course, Jaiswal has a place in this team, but this innings by Abhishek Sharma would train all eyes on him. He's such a pretty-looking batsman who makes cricket look so easy on the eye. It will be tough to take our eyes off him," said Ashwin.

Team India won the England T20I series despite the absence of several regulars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Kuldeep Yadav. The eventual return of Jaiswal could make it a three-way tussle for the two opening spots between himself, Samson, and Abhishek.