India's Squad Faces Selection Challenges

By Priya Nair — 25 June 2026 — 3 min read

India’s Squad Faces Selection Challenges

The Indian cricket team is set to begin a new T20 era under captain Shreyas Iyer with a two-match series against Ireland. The primary challenge for the team management revolves around integrating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a teenage player, into the starting eleven. Sooryavanshi’s inclusion is a significant point of discussion following his performances in the IPL and a notable score for India A against Sri Lanka A in a tri-series one-day match at Dambulla.

The current top three batters for India in T20s are Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. All three players scored fifties in the ICC T20 World Cup final victory over New Zealand in March, which was India’s most recent match in the shortest format. All three players, Abhishek (563), Kishan (602), and Samson (477), also had strong outings in IPL 2026.

Potential Line-up Adjustments and Captaincy

Should the team management decide to include Sooryavanshi, an opener, either Samson or Abhishek would need to move down the order or be left out of the playing eleven. While Samson has previously batted at No. 4 and No. 5, these positions are now expected to be filled by captain Iyer and vice-captain Tilak Varma. This leaves No. 6 as the only potential spot, which is traditionally reserved for an all-rounder. India has several all-rounder options, including Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Suryansh Shedge. Placing Samson at No. 6 would mean India would enter the field with only five bowlers, a department already facing depth concerns due to the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Iyer face the decision of whether to give Sooryavanshi his debut or maintain the existing winning combination. Sooryavanshi’s presence could also increase pressure on Samson and Abhishek to consistently perform to avoid being in a precarious position. For Iyer, this series marks the beginning of his full-time captaincy, and he will be aiming for a series win to demonstrate his leadership capabilities, which were evident during his captaincy of Kolkata Knight Riders in their title-winning season and leading Punjab Kings to the IPL final a year later.

Bowling Options and Ireland’s Squad

On the bowling front, India has a second-string line-up, providing an opportunity for players to prove themselves in this series and the subsequent one against England. Harshit Rana has returned from injury, adding to the pace options, but he faces competition from Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav. Both Prasidh and Prince are in good form, with Prasidh recently taking a career-best fifer in the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai.

The Ireland team will be without several key players due to injuries, including Josh Little, Mark Adair, Paul Stirling, and Curtis Campher. Lorcan Tucker will captain the Irish side, which also includes T20 players such as George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, and Jai Moondra. The first match of the series is scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2026, and will start at 6 p.m. IST.

The second T20I match between India and Ireland is set for Sunday, June 28. The start times for both matches have been adjusted to 6 p.m. IST, with the toss at 5:30 p.m., to avoid a clash with the Indian women’s cricket team’s match against Australia in the ICC Women T20 World Cup 2026. The matches will take place at the Stormont ground in Belfast.

The India squad includes: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Ireland squad includes: Lorcan Tucker (captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Matthew Humphreys, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Liam McCarthy, Jai Moondra, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Reuben Wilson.