India on Saturday included 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in their T20 squad for the upcoming series against Ireland and England, giving the teenager his first international call-up after his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The selectors also replaced Suryakumar Yadav as T20 captain and appointed Shreyas Iyer to lead the team for the Ireland series, the England tour and the Asian Games.
India will play two T20 internationals against Ireland in Belfast on June 26 and 28. The five-match T20 series against England will begin on July 1 in Chester-le-Street. The Asian Games will be held in September and October in Japan.
The selection of Sooryavanshi follows a successful IPL season with Rajasthan Royals. He scored 776 runs, including one century and five half-centuries, finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer and received the Most Valuable Player award.
If he makes his debut, the left-handed opener could become India’s youngest international debutant, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who played his first Test at the age of 16 years and 205 days in 1989.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar backed the youngster’s inclusion in the squad.
“For someone so young to perform and consistently back himself in such high-pressure and competitive environments is truly special,” Agarkar said at a press briefing in Mumbai.
“We have very high hopes for him and are excited to see how he develops at the international level.”
The captaincy change comes after Suryakumar struggled for runs at the World Cup and in the IPL. He scored 242 runs in nine World Cup innings, with an unbeaten 84 against the United States being his highest contribution. In the IPL, he managed 270 runs in 13 innings for Mumbai Indians at an average of 20.76 as the team finished ninth.
Agarkar said the decision was taken after reviewing the team’s future direction.
“It's a tough one (to remove Suryakumar), having just won the World Cup, but as it happens after most World Cups, you try and reassess what your best way forward is,” said Agarkar.
“We thought this was the best way forward.”
Iyer’s record as a captain played a key role in his appointment. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and guided Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish in 2025. This season, he also took the team to the playoffs.
India squad for Ireland and England T20 series: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.
