SOORYAVANSHI IN FOR ENGLAND, IRELAND SERIES
Mumbai, June 6: India ushered in a new era in T20 cricket on Saturday as Shreyas Iyer replaced Suryakumar Yadav as captain, while teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned his maiden national call-up for the tours of Ireland and England.
At 15 years and 71 days, Sooryavanshi becomes the youngest player to represent India, eclipsing the record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 years and 205 days old when he made his Test debut in 1989.
India will play two T20Is in Ireland on June 26 and 28 before taking on England in a five-match T20I series from July 1 to 11.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Shreyas’ leadership credentials and consistent performances made him the ideal choice to lead the side.“He’s led different franchises successfully and has shown the qualities required of a captain. He was also close to making the T20 World Cup squad,” Agarkar said. Shreyas guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and Punjab Kings to the final in 2025. Meanwhile, Suryakumar not only lost the captaincy but also his place in the squad.Agarkar said the decision was influenced by Suryakumar’s recent form as well as India’s plans for the next T20 World Cup cycle.
Sooryavanshi is a game-changer
Sooryavanshi’s selection came on the back of a remarkable IPL 2026 campaign, where he scored 776 runs, including a century and five fifties, at a strike rate of 237.30 for Rajasthan Royals.Agarkar described the youngster as a “game-changer” and praised his ability to perform under pressure.“He almost carried Rajasthan Royals into the final. For someone so young to dominate in such a competitive environment is commendable,” he said.
Tilak is new vice-captain
Middle-order batter Tilak Varma was named vice-captain, while Lucknow Super Giants pacer Prince Yadav earned his maiden call-up.
Agarkar said the role would help Tilak develop leadership skills while serving as Shreyas’ deputy.
Bumrah to miss England, Ireland tour
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will miss the T20I assignments against Ireland and England but is expected to return for the Asian Games in Japan later this year.
Agarkar said the decision was taken to manage Bumrah’s workload and keep him fit. (PTI)
SQUADS
For Ireland and England T20 tours: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
For Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
For multi-day matches in Sri Lanka: Dhruv Jurel (c&wk), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal (vc), Ayush Pandey, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dube, Saransh Jain, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur, N Jagadeesan (wk), Aman Mokhade, Shaik Rashid, Zeeshan Ansari. (PTI)
