Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, would become the youngest player to represent India if he were to play. Tendulkar, who was 16 and 205 days old when he played against Pakistan in 1989, is the youngest man to have ever represented India. The Indian Premier League season in which Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs at a strike-rate of 237.30 for the Rajasthan Royals was the catalyst for his call-up. The left-hander won the IPLs Most Valuable player, the Emerging Player Award, and the Orange C (awarded to the highest-scoring player) as well as the 72 sixes he hit in the tournament, breaking the previous West Indies record of 59 set by Chris Gayle in 2012. He scored 175 runs in February when India defeated England in the Under-19 World Cup final. Ajit Agarkar said, “We’ve seen what this player can do. He almost single-handedly led Rajasthan Royals into the play-offs.”

He made a good start, and maintained it in a highly competitive and pressured competition. He’s an absolute game-changer. He has high expectations. He has chosen himself.”

“This kid is a real performer when the pressure is on,” he said to BBC Test Match Special.

We’re watching and learning something very, incredibly, special. At this moment, I believe he is the best T20 cricketer in the world.

“His strike rates are beyond anything that we’ve seen. He’s hitting Jasprit Bhumrahs first pitch for six. Pat Cumminss first pitch for six. Josh Hazlewoods first shot for six. So he isn’t hitting trundlers. He’s damaging this generation’s best bowlers. There are huge debates about how to throw to a 15 year old. Shreyas Yadav was dropped from the team and Shreyas has replaced him as the ctain. Suryakumar, 35, led India to the T20 World Cup victory in March. However, the 35-year old struggled at the tournament and during the recent IPL. Agarkar, who explained Yadav’s omission, said: “It’s hard to do, especially after you’ve just won the World Cup. However, as is common following World Cups, it’s important to assess what’s best for your team going forward.”

“We thought this would be the best move forward.”

Shreyas is a T20 player who hasn’t played one since 2023, but led the Kolkata Knight Riders team to victory in the IPL in 2024. He also ctained Punjab Kings in 2025 to a second-place finish. Prince Yadav has been selected to play in place of Jasprit Bhumrah, who is resting and Hardik Pandya. Full squad

Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek, Abhishek, Sanju, Samson, Ishan, Shivam, Tilak, Varma, Nitish, Reddy, Axar, Patel, Washington Sundar. Vaibhav, Sooryavanshi, Prince Yadav.