Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has pushed back after being criticised for suggesting that there is nothing wrong with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi spending time on the sidelines during the Ireland T20Is. Ahead of India’s five-match T20I series against England, Ashwin clarified that a 15-year-old learning from senior players, carrying drinks and absorbing the dressing-room environment is part of the game, not something to be mocked. Vaibhav, who was in India’s squad for the Ireland tour but did not feature in either match, is now being widely tipped to get a chance in England after the team’s 0-2 loss in Ireland. 

Ashwin’s original comments had triggered a strong reaction from fans and pundits, many of whom felt that a prodigy of Vaibhav’s calibre should not be left out while in form. But the former India off-spinner doubled down on his point on his YouTube channel, saying that patience and exposure are also valuable for a young player’s growth. With India beginning a new T20I cycle under captain Shreyas Iyer on July 1, the debate around how quickly to fast-track the teenager has become one of the main talking points ahead of the England series.

Ashwin said: “We need to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi time. The way he played in the IPL, obviously you will have to play him at some point. He is that special.”

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What he objected to, Ashwin explained, was the idea that carrying water for senior players somehow diminishes a youngster’s status. For him, that old-school experience is part of cricket culture, and he sees value in a youngster understanding the dressing-room rhythm before being thrown into international action. He also said that he had worked as a ballboy in Chennai during the 1990s and 2000s and remembered those days with pride, not embarrassment. 

“What I am saying is that carrying water is not degrading,” Ravichandran Ashwin said. “Why do people think carrying water is a bad thing? When did the ethos of cricket change? In the 1990s and 2000s, I was a ballboy in Chennai, and I was so happy to carry water for the cricketers then. When did running into the field and giving a water bottle to Indian players become less?”

The wider selection context makes the discussion even sharper. India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has already indicated that Vaibhav is ready in terms of skill, but the team wants to give the established World Cup-winning openers a longer run before reshuffling the top order.

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That means the teenager may have to wait a little longer, even though the England series has been framed as his most realistic chance yet to make a debut.  For now, Ashwin’s message is simple: talent should be backed, but timing matters too. In his view, Vaibhav’s India journey will not be defined by whether he carries water on the tour bus; it will be defined by how well the team handles his rise.