Shreyas Iyer returned to T20Is and how. The 31-year-old became India’s 15th T20I captain, kicking off his leadership stint in the two-match series against Ireland. On his captaincy debut in Belfast, Iyer won
the toss and opted to field.
Iyer last featured in a T20I for India in December 2023, signing off as the leading run-scorer in the series against Australia. Back then, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the batting, Avesh Khan led the attack, while the likes of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube largely waited in the wings.
Come 2026, and the script has flipped. Shreyas returns, this time as India’s T20I captain.
“I always keep saying that you don’t have to complicate things. Keep it as simple as possible. When I say that, you need to be in the present and not dwell on the past or future. If you’re there in the moment and you’re enjoying the game, that’s all that is required from each one,” Iyer said after winning the toss in Belfast on Friday.
Players To Lead India In T20Is
| Player | Span |
|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag | 2006-2006 |
| MS Dhoni | 2007-2016 |
| Suresh Raina | 2010-2011 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 2015-2015 |
| Virat Kohli | 2017-2021 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2017-2024 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2021-2021 |
| Rishabh Pant | 2022-2022 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2022-2023 |
| KL Rahul | 2022-2022 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2023-2023 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 2023-2023 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 2023-2026 |
| Shubman Gill | 2024-2024 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 2026-2026 |
Being handed the captaincy at 31 also makes Iyer the third-oldest player at the time of T20I debut. Shikhar Dhawan was 35 when he took charge, while Suresh Raina stepped into the role at 33, with both leading India in three matches each. In doing so, Iyer goes past Rohit Sharma, who was 30 when he first captained the side in the format.
Oldest at the time of India’s T20I captaincy debut
| Player | Age |
|---|---|
| Shikhar Dhawan | 35y 232d |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 33y 70d |
| Shreyas Iyer * | 31y 202d |
| Rohit Sharma | 30y 234d |
| KL Rahul | 30y 143d |
No Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Playing XI
India on Friday decided against giving a debut to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in today’s first T20I against Ireland. The teenager became the youngest to be picked in the squad for this two-match series in Belfast and was expected to make his debut in the first match after his record-breaking performances in IPL 2026.
![[WATCH] Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's first training session with India's senior squad](https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/NkbYTmvnldP0.webp)
