Five key takeaways from India chief selector Ajit Agarkar's ‘top-notch’ press conference

Ajit Agarkar on Saturday explained every call in detail. There were no loose ends.

Updated on: Jun 6, 2026, 18:00:02 IST

Written by Prateek Srivastava

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India chief selector Ajit Agarkar held a press conference on Saturday and announced the T20I squad for the Ireland and England tours. On June 26 and June 28, India will play Ireland before travelling to England for five T20Is. Let's take a look at some of the calls Agarkar made and try finding out what could have influenced him. Basically, what his decisions mean.

1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi couldn't be ignored

It had to happen. The way Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played in the 2026 Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals, he left the BCCI no option but to pick him. 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31 was impossible to ignore. With Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar praising Sooryavanshi no end, in many ways, the 15-year-old selected himself for those two tours, and later the Asian Games. But for now, only T20Is. Red-ball cricket for him in its own sweet time. Basically, he has to play in the Ranji Trophy and prove his credentials there, too.

Also Read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi youngest to earn maiden India call-up, beats Sachin Tendulkar’s 36-year-old record

2. Hardik Pandya should focus on the 2027 ODI World

Hardik Pandya has been given a break from the Ireland and England T20Is. Next year, the World Cup is in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and Pandya, rehabilitating at present, should, going forward, prioritise ODIs. Pandya is special because he can win matches for India with both his batting and bowling. There are not many such cricketers in the world. Since the 2027 World Cup is the most important tournament at present, that's where the allrounder should focus. He can forget T20Is for now.

3. High hopes from Tilak Varma; Axar Patel's poor season cost him

You know what, if Axar Patel had done well with Delhi Capitals, he could have given Shreyas Iyer a good run for his money. Say if he had won the trophy or even reached the final. In any case, he would have been able to keep his vice-captaincy role. Now that Axar has disappointed, India need someone to groom. From all the options available, Tilak Varma appears the best.

4. Shreyas Iyer can't be dismissed anymore

The guy has won an IPL as a captain (with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024) and reached a final (with Punjab Kings in 2025). He is a terrific middle-order batsman. Probably the best in India. The selectors couldn't ignore him even if they tried. He is competitive and has the respect of his teammates. The best choice to lead India in T20Is at present -- by a mile!

5. Jasprit Bumrah's workload being monitored

India's greatest fast bowler to date remains the most important player. He can forget T20Is after the Asian Games in September-October. Bumrah is primarily needed for Test cricket and big bilateral white-ball series or ICC/ACC tournaments. Since the ODI World Cup is next year, 50-overs should be his priorities going forward. The BCCI understands Bumrah is a special player, so it's going to ensure his workload remains manageable. The governing body doesn't want to lose him to injury as it has a couple of times before.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prateek Srivastava
Prateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age. In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to the digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He did plenty of voice-over work too, over there. After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World from Bangladesh. There he also received a team leadership award, given at the end of the month. Prateek has also covered the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, this time working for Sportz Interactive. He also worked for Chinese giants Alibaba over two years and led their ""Short News"" content team at UC Browser. While cricket is Prateek’s expertise, he has also done a lot of golf. In fact, he has covered India’s first two European Tour events back in the late noughties. He has also done extensive writing on football having been associated with the Indian Super League for three seasons. Finally, Prateek is a literature aficionado and swears by Philip Roth and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and when he doesn’t joke, he is usually quiet and at work.Read More

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