Shreyas Iyer began his T20I captaincy journey with the series opener against Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday, June 26. This match also marked his return to the T20I team after a hiatus of around two and a half years.
The 31-year-old last appeared in a T20I for India on December 3, 2023. In that game against Australia at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, he scored 53 runs from 37 balls while batting at No. 3.
Iyer rejoined the team following his impressive performances in the IPL 2026, where he was the second-highest run-scorer for Punjab Kings (PBKS), accumulating 498 runs across 13 innings with a strike-rate of 168.81. His remarkable season included one century and five fifties, leading the Indian team management to appoint him as captain after their T20 World Cup 2026 victory, taking over from Suryakumar Yadav.
Notably, at 31 years and 202 days, Iyer became the third-oldest Indian to debut as a T20I captain. Shikhar Dhawan and Suryakumar Yadav hold the records as the oldest and second-oldest, respectively.
Shreyas Iyer wins the toss and elects to field first in IRE vs IND 2026 1st T20I
In the first T20I against Ireland in 2026, Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first. The Indian team retained the top-order lineup from their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma continuing as openers, and Ishan Kishan at No. 3.
Iyer is expected to bat at No. 4, followed by vice-captain Tilak Varma and the all-rounders Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar. The bowling lineup comprises Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana.
Here are the playing XIs for IRE vs IND 2026 1st T20I:
IRE: Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai
