The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced India’s squads for the upcoming T20I tours of Ireland and England, along with the squad for the 2026 Asian Games, on Saturday afternoon.
Shreyas Iyer named new captain for India’s T20I team
Shreyas Iyer has been named India’s new T20I captain as Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from the team after middling returns with the bat. Iyer, who has not even featured for India in T20Is since December 2023, makes a comeback on the back of an incredible few years in the IPL. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title in 2024 before leading Punjab Kings to the finals last year. This season, the team made a remarkable start, going unbeaten in their first seven matches before they narrowly missed out. With the bat, Iyer struck at 175.07 last year, while managing a strike rate of 168.81 in 2026 with an average of 55.33.
Speaking about Iyer’s appointment as the new India T20I captain, Agarkar said, “We have obviously seen what Shreyas has done over the last few years leading different franchises. He has seen everything a captain possibly can, and his own performances were very good.”
Agarkar also mentioned that Iyer missed out on the home World Cup squad earlier this year by a small margin.
He continued, “He was quite close to getting in that World Cup squad, but with Surya still there, there was no room for him. He is the standout candidate with enough experience leading in the T20 format, but this would obviously be a different challenge.”
Suryakumar Yadav’s perfect reign as India’s T20I skipper ends
Suryakumar Yadav made his international debut at the age of 31, before being appointed the captain of the T20I side after the 2024 T20 World Cup. He enjoyed a near-perfect stint as India’s T20I captain between August 2024 and March 2026, when the team won every single bilateral series, whilst also winning the 2025 Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup this year.
Agarkar felt it was the right time to pass the baton from Suryakumar to Shreyas, given the longer cycle between the two T20 World Cups, as the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup will be played in the November-December window in Australia and New Zealand.
The selection committee chief quipped, “It's a tough one, having just won the World Cup, but as it happens, after most World Cups, you try and reassess what your best way forward is. Partly his own form, but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward. As I said, Shreyas is a well-deserving captain.”
Bumrah and Hardik focusing on staying healthy for 2027 World Cup
After explaining Suryakumar’s ouster and Iyer’s appointment, Agarkar moved on to the exclusions of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, two pillars of India’s success in T20Is over the last decade. The duo have been rested from all three T20I squads.
Agarkar said about Bumrah, “The World Test Championship and the 50-over World Cup are the main focus as of now. We know how important he (Bumrah) is, and we still have a chance in the ongoing WTC cycle, so if we can have Jasprit play the majority of those games and still keep him fit and healthy, it’s always the aim.
About Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik missing out on T20I selection, Agarkar explained, “With regards to Hardik, he is part of the One-Day squad for Afghanistan. Like Bumrah, if we can keep him fit for one-day cricket, I don’t think he has played (one-day cricket) for a while, and that is the main objective at this point. It also gives an opportunity to play Nitish Kumar Reddy in T20Is and ensure rest and rotation with regards to T20 and manage our squad for the World Cup in South Africa.”
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s much-awaited international call-up
After discussing a few tough calls, Agarkar moved on to the much-awaited news of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s maiden call-up to the India team after making it to the India A team for the tri-series in Sri Lanka. The youngster had a season to remember this IPL, ending the season with 776 runs and a strike rate of 237.30, the highest by any batter with at least 400 runs in a single T20 tournament.
Talking about the Samastipur-born batter, Agarkar said, “We have seen what he can do. Even towards the playoffs, he almost single-handedly carried the Rajasthan Royals.”
He continued, “For a young kid, I don’t need to talk about how well he is batting, and it’s not just this season; he obviously had a great start last season, and to back it up in a high-pressure environment is great for a young kid. Like everyone watching T20 cricket in India, we have high hopes for him. I think he has picked himself really in the squad.”
India T20I squads
Against Ireland
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi
Against England
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi
For the 2026 Asian Games
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi
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