MUMBAI: India named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in their T20 International squad on Saturday, handing the 15-year-old sensation his maiden international call-up after a string of breathtaking performances in the domestic league.

Selectors also fired Suryakumar Yadav as captain following a poor run of form, just three months after he led the country to World Cup glory at home.

Shreyas Iyer, who last played a T20 International for India in December 2023, was named as the new skipper for the upcoming two T20 Internationals in Ireland, five matches in England and the Asian Games in Japan.

India will play Ireland on June 26 and 28 in Belfast. The England series will begin on July 1 in Chester-le-Street. The Asian Games will take place in September-October.

Teenager Sooryavanshi seized the limelight with his stellar showings in the Indian Premier League, which ended last week.

Playing for Rajasthan Royals, he topped the batting charts with 776 runs -- including one hundred, and five half-centuries -- and was named the IPL’s most valuable player.

The left-handed opener could cap his stunning rise by becoming India’s youngest-ever debutant, beating Sachin Tendulkar who played his first Test at 16 years and 205 days in 1989.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Sooryavanshi deserved his selection.

“For someone so young to perform and consistently back himself in such high-pressure and competitive environments is truly special,” Agarkar said at a press briefing in Mumbai.

“We have very high hopes for him and are excited to see how he develops at the international level.”

The change of captaincy was expected after Suryakumar struggled with the bat at the World Cup and in the IPL. In the World Cup, he scored just 242 runs in nine innings, with his unbeaten 84 against the US the only significant knock.

Playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, the 35-year-old managed only 270 runs in 13 innings at an average of 20.76. His team ended ninth in the 10-team table.

Iyer’s reputation as a good leader and an IPL-winning captain helped him clinch the job. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title in 2024 and then captained Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish in 2025. This season he guided the team into the play-offs.

JAISWAL REPLACES INJURED KOHLI

Meanwhile, India have called up Yashasvi Jaiswal to their squad for the three-match One-day International series against Afghanistan as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who has been ruled out due to injury.

Veteran Kohli, who has quit Test cricket and T20 Internationals, had been included in India’s squad last month. However, he appeared to pick up a hamstring injury while playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League final last week, which saw them secure a second consecutive title.

India host Afghanistan in three ODIs scheduled for June 14, 17 and 20, before travelling to England for a three-match series in July, which Kohli could feature in.

“With Virat at this point, it’s just been less than a week since he injured himself in the (IPL) finals. We don’t know the timelines yet,” Agarkar told reporters.

“But it looks like he might be fit for that England ODI series. It’s not a definitive answer, so don’t hold me to it. I haven’t had a clear timeline from the physio yet.”

Squad for Ireland and England: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026