Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named in India’s T20I squad as Shreyas Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav as captain
Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been called up by India for the first time with the left-hander named in the country’s T20 squad for the tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games.
The 15-year-old opening batter is the youngest male cricketer to get an India call-up. If he plays against Ireland on June 26 in Belfast he will overtake Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 when he made his test debut against Pakistan in November 1989.
Sooryavanshi set the Indian Premier League alight this season, named the tournament’s most valuable player after finishing as the highest run-scorer with 776 in 16 innings.
India T20I squad for Ireland and England tours: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India T20I squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The Rajasthan Royals batter scored his runs at a remarkable strike-rate of 237 and hit 72 sixes – breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes by an individual in a single season.
“He has forced us to pick him with how well he’s played,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said.
“I know his age; how young he is and (it is) early in his career. But … we can see the kind of talent he has and we are hopeful, if he gets the opportunity to play for the country, he will show the same ability.
“Playing for the country will mean tougher challenges, but he has shown tremendous temperament.
“He has picked himself through his performances – he single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals in the IPL playoffs. Like everyone else who’s watched him play, we have high hopes of him.”
Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut at 12. At 13, he became the youngest to get an IPL deal when Rajasthan bought him for the 2025 season. He scored 252 runs in seven games at a strike-rate of 206 in his first campaign, including a 35-ball century – the second-fastest in IPL history.
He then starred during India’s triumph at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, smashing 175 off 80 balls in the final against England – the highest individual score in any ICC global tournament final.
Shreyas Iyer has been recalled to captain a full-strength Indian squad in Ireland and England, a precursor to the Asian Games T20s in Japan in September-October. He replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who has been dropped.
Iyer last played a T20I in 2023 against Australia in Bengaluru but has since led Kolkata Knight Riders to a third IPL title in 2024 before guiding Punjab Kings to the final in 2025.
He had previously steered Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020 – the only player to lead three different franchises to a final.
Yadav’s reign comes to an end due to poor form in both IPL and international cricket.
Agarkar said Iyer was a “standout candidate” for captain and was close to being part of India’s T20 World Cup winning squad earlier this year.
India will play two T20Is in Ireland on June 26 and 28, and another five in England next month.
The squad for Japan also includes pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, underlining India’s challenge for gold ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.