India name 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in T20I squad, with Shreyas Iyer as captain

NEW DELHI: India have included 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in their squad for the upcoming Twenty20 International series against Ireland and England, while Shreyas Iyer has been appointed captain, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Saturday.

Sooryavanshi earned the call-up after an outstanding Indian Premier League campaign in which he amassed 776 runs in 16 matches and also surpassed Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a single season. His performances for Rajasthan Royals made him the first cricketer in IPL history to collect both the Most Valuable Player award and the Best Emerging Player honour in the same season.

If he features against Ireland or England, Sooryavanshi will become the youngest player to appear for India’s senior men’s team, going past Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut at the age of 16. Selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar said the teenager’s form had forced his way into contention.

Agarkar told reporters,

We’ve seen what he can do, towards playoffs, almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals. Not just this season, had a great start and to back it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure, he’s a game-changer. We’ve got high hopes of him and he has picked himself.

The selectors also removed Suryakumar Yadav from the captaincy after a poor run of form, three months after he led India to World Cup success at home. Iyer, who last played a T20I in 2023, was handed the role after previously leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and captaining other franchises in the tournament.

Explaining the decision, Agarkar said,

Led a team to (IPL) title, his own performances have been good. He was close to being part of the World Cup squad, in my opinion, he was a stand-out candidate.

India are scheduled to play Ireland in two T20Is later this month before taking on England in a five-match series in July.

Asian Games squad also announced

The BCCI also named India’s squad for the men’s cricket event at this year’s Asian Games in Japan. Veteran fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been included in that squad, which will also be led by Iyer.

The men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games is due to start on September 24, with the final set for October 3.

The T20I squad for the Ireland and England series comprises Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The Asian Games squad includes Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.