Ravichandran Ashwin believes Suryakumar Yadav’s 22-ball 32 at Nagpur finally “took the monkey off his back,” ending a run of poor returns that had seen the India skipper average just over 13 across his previous 21 outings. Ashwin said Surya looked comfortable in the middle, timing boundaries and clearing the ropes with intent — a short, sharp cameo that helped India impose themselves in a high-scoring contest.
India posted a daunting 238 for 7, thanks largely to Abhishek Sharma’s brutal 84 off 35 balls and Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 44 off 20, and then held their nerve as New Zealand fought back through Glenn Phillips (78 off 39) and Mark Chapman (39 off 24). The visiting side’s middle-order surge made for a tense chase, but India’s bowlers eventually restricted them to 190 for 7, securing a 48-run win and a 1-0 series lead.
Talking on his YouTube show, ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ravichandran Ashwin underlined the value of Surya’s mindset more than mere numbers. “It is a monkey off the back. A lot of people were talking about Suryakumar’s batting and his form and all of that. In all honesty, in T20 cricket, you don’t have to aim for consistency. What I liked was that he got those runs; he looked in good touch today.”
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Ashwin flagged another subtle but important point: Team India’s philosophy discourages batting for personal milestones when the game plan is to keep scoring and apply pressure. “If a batter wants to look to get runs, they would have looked to get a fifty. But Surya did not do that. This team has a theme, they will look to keep scoring and hitting. He looked in his element. He looked good and this is a big positive for him.”
Beyond the batting, Ravichandran Ashwin weighed in on India’s likely T20 World Cup combinations. He stressed Arshdeep Singh’s importance and urged against rotating him out in favour of Harshit Rana, calling Arshdeep a “marquee bowler who cannot be left out.” Ashwin suggested there might be a conversation to accommodate a bowling all-rounder if Shivam Dube’s overs prove effective, but overall he backed the current mix.
On Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin offered a candid, supportive take. Kuldeep’s recent ODI numbers against New Zealand were modest, and Ashwin described his T20 omission in the first match as a useful “break to reflect.”
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“But I am a big fan (of Kuldeep). You will have to get strong as a pack in T20 cricket and address the strengths somewhere else,” he said, outlining the balance needed when key fast-bowling resources aren’t available.
Ashwin concluded by sketching his ideal seam-spin quartet: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep — a combination he believes delivers variety and control. For Ashwin, the message is clear: the team must remain flexible, back its marquee performers, and trust a cohesive plan as it prepares for the World Cup.
