New Delhi. When the Indian team will take the field for the first series after winning the World Cup, neither the old captain will be seen with the team nor will there be those players in the team who played an important role in winning the trophy. The Indian cricket team is going to make a comeback in the shortest format for the first time after winning the T20 World Cup this year. The team will play the first T20 against Ireland on 26 June. A new era will begin with this match, where Shreyas Iyer will play the role of captain, while Tilak Verma will be the vice-captain.
In the T20 team, Shreyas Iyer will show his captaincy skills in place of captain Suryakumar Yadav, while Hardik Pandya and Mohammad Siraj will not be seen in the team. Players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Prince Yadav, who performed brilliantly in IPL 2026, have also got a chance. Harshit Rana is returning from injury, which will give strength to the team, but his fitness will be monitored. In the spin department, Varun Chakravarthy may play as the main spinner, while Ravi Bishnoi may have to sit on the bench.
Will Vaibhav Suryavanshi debut?
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who performed brilliantly in IPL 2026 and scored 776 runs, has got a chance in the Indian team for the first time. Just 15 years old, this young player has consistently impressed in the last two years and can make his debut in the first T20I in Belfast. However, for him to play, either Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma may have to sit out. Team management can give opportunity to both the players by adopting rotation policy.
Beginning of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy era
The Indian team is now going to enter a new era under the captaincy of Shreyas. He has shown excellent leadership in the last few years. Shreyas led KKR to the IPL title in 2024, made Mumbai win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2025, took Punjab Kings to the IPL playoffs twice in a row and also scored 498 runs in 14 matches in IPL 2026. The biggest problem facing Shreyas as captain will be the absence of Hardik Pandya and Nitish Reddy. Young Suryansh Shedge has been added to the team but he could hardly make his debut.
Probable India XI against Ireland (1st T20I)
1 Sanju Samson Opener
2 Vaibhav Suryavanshi Opener
3 Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper) Wicketkeeper-Batsman
4 Shreyas Iyer (Captain) Batsman
5 Tilak Verma (Vice Captain) Batsman
6 Washington Sundar Allrounder
7 Axar Patel Allrounder
8 Harshit Rana Allrounder
9 Varun Chakravarthy Spinner
10 Prince Yadav / Famous Krishna fast bowler
11 Arshdeep Singh fast bowler
Bench: Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Ravi Bishnoi
