CHENNAI: Days before the announcement of the India T20I squads for England and Ireland tours, and the 2026 Asian Games, one thing was crystal clear — the new set-up will wear a completely different look.
It was, however, easier said than done. The team led by Suryakumar Yadav had won the World Cup becoming the first team to lift the crown at home. But just like a T20 game, which can change in an over, the squad needs to be overhauled for a new cycle and that's what the selectors kept in mind before delivering a new-look outfit under a new captain — Shreyas Iyer.
While inclusion of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a strong indication of BCCI's futuristic approach, the newly-announced squad also highlights how cruel the game can be. Suryakumar, who once was the No. 1 T20I batter given his 360 degrees approach, fell out of favour owing to his poor returns with the bat of late. An equally disappointing IPL season with Mumbai Indians only added to his woes. On the contrary, a highly successful two previous editions (2024 and 2025) and a satisfactory just-concluded season not only propelled Iyer to return to the T20I team after more than two years but also stake his claim for the leadership role.
"With regards to Shreyas, we have seen what he has done over the last few years, leading different franchises," chief selector Ajit Agarkar told media after announcing the squads for various tours. "(He) won the final once, and from there a tougher season this year after a great start. We have seen everything that a captain possibly can (handle). His own performances have been really good. He was quite close to getting into the (T20) World Cup squad as well. With Surya still there, there was no room for him, so he is in my opinion a stand-out candidate with enough experience now having led in the T20 format; this is obviously a different challenge," Agarkar added.
The former India pacer admitted it was a tough call as far as Suryakumar's exclusion from the team is concerned. "With regards to Surya, obviously it's a tough one having just won the (T20) World Cup. But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what your best way forward is," Agarkar said. "(It was due to) partly his own form but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward and like I said, Shreyas is a very deserving captain."
Amid the change in guard and Sooryavanshi's much-hyped entry into the team, quite a few changes went under the radar. One of them was pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya's omission. He played a key role in India's title triumph in the T20 World Cup in 2024 but proved to be a shadow of himself at the home edition this year. Things went from bad to worse for him when Mumbai Indians finished ninth on the points table.
Agarkar, however, said they are preparing him for the ODI World Cup scheduled next year. "He is a part of the one-day squad right now in (the) Afghanistan (series). Like Bumrah, if we can get him playing well and keep him fit for one-day cricket - I don't think he's played one-day cricket for a while - that is, at this point, the main objective," said Agarkar.
"But, the main objective is to see if he (Pandya) can start playing well and stay healthy with 50-over cricket with the World Cup in a year and a half, around that sort of time. It gives us a lot of balance. The World Cup is in South Africa, if he is bowling well enough. We'll assess how we go in the next few months, that's primarily the reason at this point," he added. Pandya's last ODI appearance was in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which India won under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
And Bumrah's case looks the same with the chief selector saying he is being preserved for one-dayers and Test cricket. He was included in the squad for the Asian Games but rested for the tours of England and Ireland. "Yeah, and also one-day World Cup, like the T20 (format) was in the last World Cup...we know how important he is. The WTC cycle...we've still got a chance to (qualify for the final) if we play well enough over these next nine Tests, if we can have Jasprit play majority of those games and still keep him fit and healthy, it's always a (great) thing," he added.
India are set to tour Sri Lanka and New Zealand for two Tests each before taking on Australia in a five-match series at home, which would determine their qualification for the final of the 2025-2027 World Test Championship cycle. The Shubman Gill-led side is languishing at the sixth spot behind Bangladesh in the table and they will require Bumrah firing from all cylinders to revive the campaign.