The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, June 6 named a 16-member squad for the upcoming T20Is to be played in Ireland and England. The Men in Blue will face Ireland in two T20Is on June 26 and June 28. Subsequently, they will take on England in five T20Is from July 1 to July 11.
As widely reported ahead of the squad announcement, Suryakumar Yadav was sacked as captain and also dropped the team as batter. Shreyas Iyer was named as Team India’s new T20I captain, while Tilak Varma was named as his deputy in place of all-rounder Axar Patel. Further, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned a maiden call-up to the Indian side on the back of a sensational IPL 2026 season.
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed a press conference after announcing the squad for the Ireland and England tour as well as Asian Games 2026. Here are five major statements made by Agarkar at the press conference.
#1 On Suryakumar Yadav’s sacking as captain after T20 World Cup triumph
Agarkar admitted that sacking Suryakumar as captain despite the fact that he had led India to victory in the T20 World Cup earlier this year was a tough decision. He, however, explained that the 35-year-old’s lean run with the willow did not help the cricketer’s case. Agarkar also asserted that the decision was made in the best interest of Indian cricket. He commented:
“With regards to Surya, obviously, it’s a tough one… having just won the World Cup. 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.
“We know he’s been captain and just won a World Cup, so it’s not the easiest conversation when you want to tell the player that. But we’re doing everything in the interest of what the team needs going forward,” he added.
Suryakumar managed only one half-century in the 2026 T20 World Cup and had a poor IPL 2026 campaign as well. He has been short of runs for a couple of seasons now.
#2 On Shreyas Iyer’s elevation to T20I captaincy
Shreyas’ T20I credentials have never been in doubt. However, in a rather bizarre albeit expected development, he was named India’s new T20I captain despite having last represented India in the format in December 2023. Backing Shreyas’ elevation to captaincy, Agarkar described him as a well-deserving candidate and commented:
“We’ve seen what he’s done over the last few years, leading different franchises. He won once, had a tougher season this year after a great start. He’s seen everything that a captain possibly can.
“His own performances have been really good. 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 former India pacer added.
Shreyas led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in victory in IPL 2024. Under him, Punjab Kings (PBKS) finished runners-up last season. He has also been in excellent form with the bat.
#3 On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting maiden call-up
At just 15, Sooryavanshi has become the youngest ever player to be selected in an Indian men’s cricket team. The southpaw had an exceptional IPL 2026 campaign for Rajasthan Royals (RR). Sharing his views on Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in the 16-member squad, Agarkar said:
“With his performances, he has almost forced us to pick him, with how well he has played. For a young kid, I don’t need to talk about how well he is playing. And it’s not just this season. He obviously had a great start 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… Like everyone else that has watched T20 cricket in India, we have got high hopes of him. I think he just has picked himself,” the former India cricketer added.
In 16 innings in IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi hammered 776 runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.30, with one ton and five half-centuries.
#4 On Team India’s Test woes
While India have won multiple ICC titles in white-ball cricket over the last couple of years, their fortunes in Test cricket have taken a massive dip. After suffering a 3-0 loss against New Zealand at home in 2024, they also went down 2-0 to South Africa last year in another home series. Speaking about India’s Test woes, chairman of selectors Agarkar stated:
“I don’t know whether worry is the right word, but we obviously need to improve our performances. I think England was good and the South Africa series probably didn’t go to plan, but we still have a chance if we play well enough, and we know we’ve got the players, but we’ve got to play better.”
Team India‘s next big Test assignment at home will be the 2027 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
#5 On Virat Kohli’s injury
After much speculation over Virat Kohli, it was officially confirmed on Saturday that he has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was named as his replacement. Providing an update on Kohli‘s injury and possible comeback, Agarkar commented:
“It’s just less than a week since he injured himself in the IPL final. Don’t know the timelines yet, looks like he might be fit for England ODIs. Not a definitive squad, don’t have a timeline from the physio yet.”
Kohli was named Player of the Match in the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) for his unbeaten half-century. However, he was clearly not 100 percent fit.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert