CRICKET | Selections driven equally by long-term planning and recent performances, says Agarkar

India’s transition towards the next T20 World Cup cycle formally began on Saturday with Shreyas Iyer replacing Suryakumar Yadav as captain and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earning a maiden call-up, decisions chief selector Ajit Agarkar suggested were driven equally by long-term planning and recent performances.

Shreyas’ elevation marks a significant turnaround in fortunes for the Mumbai batter, who last featured in a T20I in December 2023 and had narrowly missed selection for the recent World Cup campaign despite an impressive run in franchise cricket.

“We have seen what he has done over the last few years, leading different franchises,” Agarkar said here on Saturday. “He won [the IPL title] once, had a tougher season this year after a great start. He has seen everything that a captain possibly can. His own performances have been really good.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar during the squad announcement for the upcoming Asian Games, Sri Lanka and England at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, 06/06/2026.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI

“He was quite close to getting into that T20 World Cup squad as well, but [with] Surya still there, there was no room for him. He in my opinion was a stand-out candidate with enough experience now. This will obviously be a different challenge.”

The change simultaneously brings an abrupt end to Suryakumar’s captaincy stint, and possibly international career. Less than three months after leading India to a successful T20 World Cup defence, the 35-year-old not only lost the captaincy but also his place in the squad.

“With regards to Surya, obviously it’s a tough one having just won the World Cup,” Agarkar admitted. “But as it happens, after most World Cups, we try and reassess what the 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.”

Rajasthan Royals batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays a shot during the IPL T20 match against Gujarat Titans at the New Chandigarh Stadium in Punjab on May 29, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. MOORTHY

The other headline, unsurprisingly, belonged to 15-year-old Sooryavanshi, whose explosive IPL performances accelerated his entry into international cricket.

“He just has picked himself really,” Agarkar said. “With his performances, he has almost forced us to pick him with how well he has played. It’s not just this season. He obviously had a great start [to his IPL career] last season.

“And to back it up for a young kid in a competition that’s as competitive and has a high-pressure environment, and how explosive he can be and a game-changer that he can be… we have got high hopes of him.”

For India’s selectors, Saturday’s announcement was less about one squad and more about officially beginning another cycle.