Three cricketers bid farewell within a day. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the short format for the country after winning the T20 World Cup. Who can replace them on the Indian team? There are seven cricketers in the running.After the World Cup, India will play a T20 series against Zimbabwe on July 6. Several young cricketers have been given a place there. After the Zimbabwe series, there is a series against Sri Lanka. These series will see who is fit to step into the shoes of Virat, Rohit, and Jadeja.
Virat and Rohit played as openers for the Indian team. There was one more opener for the World Cup team. Yasswi Jaiswal. This time, Yashshwi will take his place in India’s T20 team. Another opener, Shubman Gill, was taken as a reserve cricketer. He is the captain of the Zimbabwe series. After Virat and Rohit, Shubman’s place in the team can be ripe.
Jadeja’s retirement has made Akshar Patel’s place in the Indian team more ripe. As Jadeja is not in form in this World Cup, Akshar has more opportunities with the ball. He also scored runs with the bat. As a result, it can be said that Akshara is going to be India’s main spinner all-rounder in the T20.
Apart from Akshar, Washington Sunder is in the fray. He can also bat and ball. But he is right-handed. The left-hander’s bat-and-ball style is similar to Jadeja’s. As a result, he could be the main choice as an alternative. If India is looking at another left-arm spinner all-rounder, it is Shahbaz Ahmed. Shahbaz caught attention in domestic cricket. He also played in the IPL. His style is very similar to Jadeja.
Board president Roger Binny hinted that there are many cricketers to replace Virat and Rohit. But they don’t want to rush. After India won the World Cup, Binny said, “There is a lot of talent in the IPL. Many cricketers are coming up. But it will take some time to fill the void that will be created after the retirement of Rohit Kohli. We don’t want to rush it.”
Hardik Pandya was Rohit’s vice captain in the World Cup. He has been rested for the Zimbabwe series. After Rohit, Hardik can become India’s T20 captain for sure. But that decision has not been taken yet. Rahul Dravid’s tenure as coach is over. Gautam Gambhir can be the new coach. After he takes over, the Indian Cricket Board can announce the new captain of the team.
