No debut for Sooryavanshi in Ireland, Suryansh and Prince get India T20I caps

Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait longer for his India T20I debut after captain Shreyas Iyer retained the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for the second T20I against Ireland on Sunday, June 28. Instead, India handed debuts to all-rounder Suryansh Shedge after a quick-setter in the series and two quick-setters.

The changes come after Ireland recorded their first ever international win over India in the opening T20I tournament, prompting the visitors to reshuffle their playing XI in a bid to level the series.

“Yeah, we have two changes. Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav are coming in. Both are making their debuts,” Iyer said while shuffling to announce the Indian XI.

The two debutants replace Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar after India’s disappointing performance in the first T20I. Prasidh endured a difficult outing, conceding 57 runs in his four wicketless overs, while Sundar conceded 19 runs in the single run he bowled and contributed nine runs with the bat during the chase.

Despite growing anticipation for 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international debut, the team management decided to retain the experienced opening combination of Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

SHEDGE REWARDED AFTER IMPRESSIVE INDIA LABEL

Sanju Smason awards Shedge his first international cap for India (BCCI photo)

Shedge earned his first call-up to India after consistent performances in domestic cricket, the IPL and the recent India A tri-series in Sri Lanka. He was used as a batting all-rounder during the tournament, but also came in with crucial overs, showing a versatility that impressed the selectors. Shedge added 147 runs in five games at an average of 36.75, taking two wickets.

“He is a powerful, destructive batsman. He is a sensational youngster who has scored runs in domestic cricket as well as in the IPL. He has a tremendous amount of experience in youth cricket and has featured on the India A tour. So he is reaping the benefits,” Iyer said while explaining the decision to hand Shedge his first international cap.

Prince Yadav, meanwhile, continues his rapid rise after making his ODI debut against Afghanistan earlier this month.

“It’s definitely his first game so I don’t want to put him under that much pressure. It’s important that he comes here, gets experience and understands what international cricket has to offer. He must have seen how we played in the previous game and he’s smart enough to adapt,” Iyer added while talking about Prince Yadav.

Temper took three wickets in two matches in the series and has now been rewarded with his first T20I appearance as India look to bounce back and keep the series alive against Ireland. Yadav’s rise began with his 2026 Indian Premier League season with 16 wickets for Lucknow Super Giants.

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Published on:

28 Jun 2026 18:17 IST