'Vaibhav Sooryavanshi forced us to pick him': Ajit Agarkar's honest admission on India selection

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially unveiled India's men's squad for the Ireland, England and 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with Shreyas Iyer appointed captain and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi receiving his maiden call-up to the senior national T20 side.

The selection marks a significant shift in India's white-ball setup, as Iyer takes over the leadership role from Suryakumar Yadav. The move reflects the selectors' long-term strategy of expanding India's leadership options ahead of the 2028 T20 World Cup.



However, the headline-grabbing inclusion is undoubtedly that of 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Rajasthan Royals youngster has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past year, establishing himself as one of the brightest talents in Indian cricket.

Sooryavanshi played a pivotal role in India's triumphant 2026 ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup campaign, earning both Player of the Tournament and Player of the Final honors. He carried that form into IPL 2026, where he amassed a staggering 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, forcing his way into national selection conversations.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar admitted that the teenager's performances left the selectors with little choice but to include him in the squad.

"Vaibhav's performances almost forced us to pick him. I know he's young, but two IPL seasons in a row and what he has done at the Under-19 level speak for themselves. We can all see the kind of talent he possesses," Agarkar said in the press conference.

"There will be tougher challenges but he has shown great promise and temperament. We're all as hopeful as everyone is. He has picked himself through his own performances,'' Ajit Agarkar added.

India squad for Ireland and England T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

India squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (C), Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun C, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah