Shreyas’ captaincy credentials have been hard to ignore.
| Photo Credit: File photo: Vijay Soneji
Shreyas Iyer is set to return to India’s T20I set-up and is also likely to be handed the captaincy in the shortest format when the senior national selection committee meets here on Saturday to pick the squads for three crucial assignments in the coming months.
The senior selection panel, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, is scheduled to finalise the contingents for the T20I series in Ireland, subsequent limited-overs tour of England and the Asian Games. Shreyas, who last played a T20I in December 2023, is expected to replace Suryakumar Yadav both in the squad and as captain. After enduring a prolonged lean patch with the bat, Suryakumar is set to lose his place despite having led India during its successful T20 World Cup title defence earlier this year.
The Hindu understands that both the selectors and team management have increasingly gravitated towards Shreyas as the leadership choice after multiple rounds of discussions.
Having captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 before guiding Punjab Kings to the final in 2025, the 31-year-old’s leadership credentials have significantly strengthened his case. Other names discussed for the role included Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma.
Interestingly, Hardik Pandya — who had been replaced by Suryakumar as captain at the beginning of the previous T20 World Cup cycle — and vice-captain of the recent World Cup campaign, Axar Patel, have not featured prominently in discussions so far.
Beyond the captaincy debate, teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the major talking point. The key question is whether the selectors accelerate the 15-year-old’s entry into the T20I squad or introduce him gradually through a relatively easier assignment in Zimbabwe in July.
Sooryavanshi already features among the 30 probables for the Asian Games. India will play two T20Is in Ireland on June 26 and 28 before travelling to England for five T20Is and three ODIs between July 1 and 19. The Asian Games cricket competition, scheduled from September 17 to October 3, overlaps with India’s home ODI series against the West Indies.
The selectors are also expected to name a replacement for Virat Kohli, whose hamstring injury has ruled him out of the ODI series against Afghanistan. Fitness reports concerning Rohit Sharma and Hardik — both selected earlier subject to clearance — will also come up for discussion during Saturday’s meeting.
Published – June 05, 2026 06:35 pm IST
