Agarkar drops bombshell, reveals Shreyas Iyer was ‘quite close’ to India’s T20 World Cup squad

India’s Shreyas Iyer (PTI Photo) India’s T20 cricket set-up has entered a new phase with Shreyas Iyer named captain for the upcoming tour of Ireland and England while teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned a historic debut.At just 15 years and 71 days, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player ever to be selected in the Indian team, breaking the record that had stood since Sachin Tendulkar’s debut in 1989. Tendulkar was 16 years and 205 days old when he made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi.India’s T20 campaign begins with two matches in Ireland on June 26 and 28 before the team heads to England for a five-match series from July 1-11.The team announcement also marks Shreyas’ return to the Indian T20 set-up for the first time since the series against Australia in December 2023. His elevation to the captaincy position comes after several successful years as a leader in franchise cricket and consistent performances with the bat.Explaining his decision, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar said, “As for Shreyas, we have seen what he has done over the last few years while leading various franchises.“(He’s) won the final once and it’s going to be a tougher season from there after a great start. We’ve seen everything a captain can (handle). His own performances have been really good.”“He was also quite close to making the (T20) World Cup squad. When Surya was there, there was no place for him, so I think he’s an exceptional candidate with enough experience to lead in the T20 format now; that’s a different challenge of course.”Iyer’s leadership was enhanced by leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and guiding the Punjab Kings to the final in 2025. Combined with his strong batting returns in the last two seasons, these performances convinced the selectors that he was the right man to lead India’s next T20 cycle.However, the decision comes at the expense of Suryakumar Yadav. Despite leading India to the T20 World Cup title in 2026, Suryakumar lost not only his captaincy but also his place in the squad.On the move, Agarkar said: “For Surya, obviously it’s tough because he’s just won the (T20) World Cup. But as happens after most World Cups, we’re trying to reassess what’s your best way forward.”“It was due) partly to his own form, but also looking at another two-year cycle, or a little over two years to the next World Cup, we thought that was the best way forward and, as I said, Shreyas is a very deserving captain.”“We thought about it a lot, especially when someone has led you to a World Cup win. It’s not the easiest kind of discussion, but I don’t think … at some stage we wanted to look at it. Now if IPL form dictated it; I’m not so sure it did. There have always been conversations around it.”With a new captain and the youngest player in the history of Indian cricket joining the team, the selectors have signaled a clear shift in direction as preparations begin for the next T20 World Cup cycle.

Do you think Shreyas Iyer is the right choice to captain the T20 team?