Shreyas Iyer was announced as the new India T20I captain when the men’s senior selection committee chaired by Ajit Agarkar picked the squads for the tours of Ireland, England coupled with the Asian Games. Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav who failed to find a spot in the squad altogether. Tilak Varma has also been elevated as vice-captain in the T20I setup, which doesn’t see many changes from the squad that won the T20 World Cup earlier this year.Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t picked for the T20Is against England and Ireland but was included in the Asian Games squad, which will be held in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan. Mohammed Siraj made way for Bumrah and Prince Yadav in the 15-member squad for the multi-games event. Both Siraj and Yadav are likely to feature in the ODIs against the West Indies which will overlap with the Asian Games.In a notable change, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was picked in both squads with selectors expressing a combination of excitement and apprehension to see what he offers on the big stage.
India squad for Ireland and England
Addressing a query on why Iyer was picked and appointed as captain, Agarkar said, “We have seen what Shreyas Iyer has done in different seasons with different teams. He was close to getting to the World Cup squad as well. He is a standout candidate with enough experience. It’s a tough one on SKY [Suryakumar Yadav]. You try and reassess after a World Cup; this was best way forward”.Hardik Pandya, undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI CoE, wasn’t considered for the T20I series because the management, similar to their approach with Bumrah, want to preserve the premier all-rounder for the 50-over World Cup. “He is part of the ODIs. Like Jasprit Bumrah, the main objective is to see if he can start playing well and stay healthy for the 50-over World Cup,” explained Agarkar.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 SooryavanshiIndia 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
