Ravichandran Ashwin has firmly rejected the growing chatter around India fielding two separate T20I sides, stressing that an India cap must retain its value and cannot be handed out casually. Speaking on his show Ash Ki Baat, Ashwin addressed reports suggesting that India could split squads for overlapping commitments — particularly the T20I series against West Indies cricket team (October 6–17) and the Asian Games (September 19 to October 6). The idea of sending a second-string side, potentially made up of emerging IPL names like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, did not sit well with the veteran off-spinner. “What is the value of the India cap then? What respect will it have? You need a moment of pride to wear the India cap. Why are you playing cricket? Because you are representing so many Indian public, they are watching, everyone praises our cricket, and you wish to debut in front of your fans and play all the formats. All of this definitely plays on the mind. It happens a lot now that people are making their debuts somewhere or the other, and people forget about it,” Ashwin said. He instead advocated for strengthening the India A pathway to groom talent without diluting the prestige of the senior team. “There must be a value for the India cap. If you want to give them exposure, send them on India A tours. You cannot just dish out India caps just like that. Telecast the India A tours as well, people will watch and have fun. But you cannot just distribute India caps for free. It has to be valued,” he added. Despite the long-term focus shifting towards the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, India’s schedule after the IPL remains packed with T20 cricket. The international season begins with a one-off Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan national cricket team from June 6 to 20. That will be followed by a short trip to Ireland for two T20Is from June 26 to 28, before a full-fledged tour of England featuring five T20Is between July 1 and 11 and a subsequent three-match ODI series. India will then head to Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series from July 23 to 26. Later in the year, they host West Indies cricket team for three ODIs followed by five T20Is between October 6 and 17. The year concludes with a home series against Sri Lanka national cricket team, where India will play three ODIs and three T20Is from December 13 to 27, capping off a busy white-ball calendar.
