Suryansh Shedge's story: Ace finisher, clear strategist, and cricket genius tipped to be India's future

Three days before the start of India’s two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast, when the Indian side left for their trip from Chennai, the news came out that their pace bowling all-rounder, Nitish Reddy, was ruled out for the series. It didn’t take much time for the BCCI to announce Suryansh Shedge as the replacement for Ireland, along with the following five-match T20I series against England.

Reddy reported left quadriceps discomfort after the recent third ODI against Afghanistan on June 20. Following the subsequent medical assessment, the BCCI medical team recommended a period of rehabilitation for him.

That gave the first opportunity to Shedge as the selectors look much further ahead towards the next T20 World Cup 2028 in England and Wales. India have been trying their level best to build a strong group of pace-bowling all-rounders, and Shedge is a perfect example of that.

Hardik Pandya’s form has dipped a lot with both bat and ball during the recent IPL 2026 for the Mumbai Indians. Moreover, his injuries have again become a regular factor in his career. Meanwhile, Reddy has been injured frequently in the last few months, pushing the selectors to look at the youngsters. 

Suryansh’s selection doesn’t come as a shock. He has performed well for Mumbai in the domestic T20 competitions and has been regular for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 whenever he got the opportunity. The 25-year-old was also part of the India A side during the recent Tri Series 2026 in Sri Lanka, which shows the trust the BCCI has shown in the youngster.

Being among the likes of Marcus Stoinis, his domestic captain Shreyas Iyer, and under the coaching of Ricky Ponting, Suryansh has learnt a lot. The former Australia captain’s thought process of ‘preparation, preparation, and preparation- nothing else’ has helped the batter a lot to be courageous and know that he belongs to this level.

See Also: Watch: Suryansh Shedge smashes Manav Suthar for 27-run over in GT vs PBKS IPL 2026 clash

“I remember after the fourth or fifth game, after the net session, he took me aside. He asked me if I'm frustrated. I said 'no' at first. He said, 'Be honest. So, I said, 'Yes, sir. At night, I do feel it sometimes. So, he said, 'I can totally understand how you're feeling. Right now, it's easy to get bogged down and start thinking negatively.” Suryansh said on ESPNcricinfo.

The making of Suryansh Shedge — From Mumbai's domestic circuit to national recognition

When he was just 14, Suryansh, fondly named as ‘Surya’, scored the fastest triple century in the Giles Shield Tournament. Looking at him, one would mostly call him a 14-year-old. However, when he smashed those flawless boundaries using his wrists, he looked like a kid studying in school with the bat and ball.

When he showed aggression and dominated the bowlers, he looked like an experienced player who seemed to have played a lot of international cricket. His class and talent are at a different level, and besides being a stylish batter, he has the right amount of aggression and loves to nail the boundaries regularly.

Suryansh is one of the rare players from Mumbai who studied in the IB board, as he was part of the Gundecha International School and plays at the State Level. In Mumbai, there is a massive pressure to be in the Maharashtra board to play some good cricket and excel in life. He has broken the myth and kept playing some good cricket for his school, club, academy, and state.

His father, Prashant Shedge, is the group marketing head at the Wockhardt Hospitals, while his mom, Priyadarshini Shedge, was an ex-banker with the HSBC and Citibank, dedicating her full time towards the upbringing of his son. That pushed the youngster to pay full focus and attention to the batter.

See Also: Harmanpreet Kaur story: From Hockey stick to India's captain

Suryansh was a bit emotional on or off the crease. He also pays attention and focuses on his batting and likes to control right from the beginning, without any fear. His hunger for runs was visible from the start of his career, whenever he would walk at the crease. Besides all of these, he also chips in with right-arm pace and is considered the best fielder at the state level.

His growth in the IPL — How Suryansh Shedge turned limited chances into a big impact

Before the IPL, Suryansh showed his growth in the shortest format during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for Mumbai. In 2024, he walked in the middle with his team needing 60 runs to win off just 24 balls. Five of the six innings before that, he had scores of 1*, 0, 9, 12, and 1*.

When Mumbai’s competition was on the line, Shedge smashed Mandar Mahale for a four and three sixes to get a 24-run over. Knowing that he would be in the middle order, he practiced according to it.

“Coming into this tournament, I tweaked my practice sessions a bit. I was playing six-ball sets, [and] trying to score a certain number of runs in those six balls. That kind of helps you. And I was taking breaks after every six balls because when you go into bat, you will only get 10-15 balls to face.” He expressed to the reporters at the end of 2024.

See Also: Shree Charani story: From plastic bat to India women's spin answer

In the final of the event against Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru, he smashed a 15-ball knock of 36 runs to complete the 175-run chase with 13 balls to spare in a line-up where Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, and Shivam Dube failed to make an impact. 

“You gain a lot of perspective when you spend time with them. Rather than practicing, you talk to them a lot. At the end of the day, when you go out, and you need a certain number of runs in a certain number of balls, it all comes down to your mental game.” He added after finishing the campaign with 131 runs at a strike rate of 251.92- the highest strike rate of anyone who faced 20 or more balls in that edition.

In 2025, he was part of the Punjab Kings and got to face 11 balls in three innings for just seven runs. However, in 2026, he showed his full potential with 158 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 175.55, thanks to one half-century at the best score of 57 runs.

Suryansh Shedge’s cricketing career-

What he did for India A in the Tri-Series 2026 — The Sri Lanka showing that got him noticed

Around a couple of weeks after playing their last group-stage game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 in Lucknow, Suryansh found himself in the Tri Series 2026 for the India A side.

In the very first game against Sri Lanka A, at Dambulla, he drilled an unbeaten 26 runs off just 14 balls at a strike rate of 185.71, thanks to one boundary and two sixes. That knock helped the blue brigade get past the 275-run knock and earned the win by just eight runs. 

See Also: 3 players who can replace Nitish Reddy in England & Ireland ODIs

Two days later, he nailed another superb knock of 40 runs off 27 balls at a strike rate of 148.14, shouldering on two boundaries and two sixes. That was another vital innings to shoulder India A to 349 runs for the loss of nine wickets.

But his most impressive knock came during the tied encounter against Sri Lanka. They were struggling at 123/5 in 24 overs. It was a crisis moment when they needed someone, not only to hold the innings but also to show some power towards the back end of the innings.

And Shedge dashed a fabulous knock of 72 runs off just 66 balls at a strike rate of 109.09, with the help of three boundaries and a couple of sixes. From 6/125, the right-handed batter finished with 265 runs, with 122 runs coming off the last 13 overs.

Can Suryansh Shedge become India's future pace-bowling all-rounder?

With remarkable clarity at the age of just 21, Suryansh came well-prepared with a robust support system and a clear plan for their progression. He has a very sharp understanding of what needs to be done and how to execute the plans effectively, and she also has a disciplined approach.

“So, from ball one, if I'm confident in my abilities, I'm going to hit every ball. And, the first, the initial stage, I don't premeditate anything. I know if I take in three or four balls, I'll be able to hit the next three or four balls. So, if I have time in the game, if I have four, five overs, I'll go with that approach.” He said during an interaction on Cricbuzz.

See Also: Suryansh Shedge smashes 27-run over in IPL 2026 - Cricket Winner

He has stayed true to his methods and looks up to the likes of Hardik and Ben Stokes to replicate their all-rounder inspiration in the game. Suryansh has all the skills to be one of the best all-rounders of the game for India, and the journey may begin in Ireland.

Suryansh Shedge's Story of being an ace finisher- FAQs