sports desk1 hour ago
- copy link
Team India has returned home after winning the T-20 World Cup in West Indies. After winning the final match against South Africa on June 29, three greats of Indian cricket Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20 International.
In such a situation, it is very important to know who can replace these players? Further in the story, we will know 5-5 options of the three players, who are performing well at both international and IPL level. Starting with Jadeja…
1. Ravindra Jadeja: 500+ runs and 50+ wickets
Ravindra Jadeja made his T20 debut on 10 February 2009 against Sri Lanka. He also played the first T-20 World Cup for India in 2009 itself. Jadeja retired after playing 74 T20s, in which he scored 515 runs and took 54 wickets. In 30 matches of the World Cup, Jadeja scored 130 runs and took 22 wickets.
Jadeja played as an all-rounder in Team India. Bats with left hand along with left arm spin. Team India will see his biggest deficiency in fielding, he is the only player of the team who had the ability to change the game through fielding.
Who will replace Jadeja?
Although Axar Patel is the perfect replacement for Jadeja, but in the World Cup, India played all the matches with these two players. In such a situation, it is expected that Team India can give opportunity to 2 spin all-rounders in future also. Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya, who have played international cricket, currently seem to be the best replacements for Jedja.
- Beautiful: Has played 43 T20s for India, bats left handed with right arm off spin. He troubles the batsmen with the new ball in the powerplay and has been a part of Team India for a long time. Have debuted in all three formats and will also be seen playing T-20 for Zimbabwe. At present, Sundar seems to be the best replacement of Jaddu.
- Krunal: Experienced IPL all-rounder Krunal bats with his left hand with left arm spin. With the new ball, he also takes wickets in the middle and death overs. Along with hitting big shots, he also has the ability to handle the innings.
IPL stars can also replace Jaddu
- Sai Kishore: Tamil Nadu captain Sai Kishore is an expert in bowling with the new ball. He has debuted for India in the Asian Games. Currently showing his ability for Gujarat Titans in IPL. Can also bat.
- Shahbaz Ahmed: Shahbaz has worked as a pinch hitter in IPL for RCB and SRH. Due to left arm spin, he has debuted for Team India in ODI and T-20 formats.
- Mahipal Lomror: Lomror, who batted brilliantly for RCB in the last IPL, is also a left arm spinner. He got less opportunity to bowl due to the impact player rule, but he has shown his ability in domestic cricket. Along with spin bowling, he can also be prepared in the role of finisher.
- Youngsters like Manav Suthar, Musheer Khan, Soumya Pandey and Manimaran Siddharth are also continuously staking their claim to replace Jadeja.
2. Rohit Sharma: Top scorer of T-20 International
Rohit Sharma made his T20 debut against England on 19 September 2007. In the same match, Yuvraj Singh hit 6 sixes on 6 balls in the World Cup. India also won this tournament. Rohit started his career by winning the World Cup and ended his career by winning the World Cup of this format.
Rohit was the top run scorer of T-20, he scored 4231 runs. Even in the World Cup, he was the second top run scorer after Virat. Rohit scored 5 centuries with his attacking batting and explosive innings. In the last World Cup, he had laid the foundation of a strong score by scoring fifties against Australia and England.
Rohit’s batting replacement will probably be found, but Team India will miss his captaincy the most in T-20. Because Rohit may not have been able to leave an impression like Captain Kohli in Tests and Captain Dhoni in ODIs, but in T20 he created a new identity for his leadership.
Who will replace Rohit?,
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: 22-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was a part of the World Cup winning Team India, has played 17 T-20s for India. He has scored 500+ runs with one century. Like Rohit, he does attacking batting and also plays domestic cricket with his home team Mumbai. At present he is the best replacement for Rohit.
- Ishan Kishan: Explosive left hand wicketkeeper batsman Kishan has played 32 T20s for India. He also played T-20 in 2021 and ODI World Cup in 2023. BCCI is continuously giving him opportunities, if Yashasvi flops then Ishaan will be the next contender.
- KL Rahul: Rahul, who has scored 2 T-20 centuries for India, has started batting slowly in this format these days. For this reason, after playing two consecutive World Cups in 2021 and 2022, he was kept out of the team in 2024. If Rahul starts attacking batting again, then Team India cannot get a better opener than him.
IPL stars can also replace Rohit
- Abhishek Sharma: SRH’s explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who left his mark in the IPL, looked in excellent form in the last tournament. He scored 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.22 and took his team to the final. Along with left hand batting, he also does spin bowling. Currently, he will be seen showing his ability in Zimbabwe.
- Prithvi Shaw: The Indian team had high expectations from Prithvi Shaw, who made India win the Under-19 World Cup in 2018. But he could not live up to the expectations. However, in the last one year, he has improved and started scoring runs in domestic cricket. Prithvi is also no match for attacking batting, if he can maintain his fitness and form then he can make a place in the T-20 team.
- Sanju Samson, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudarshan and Prabhsimran Singh can also open for India in T20 in place of Rohit.
3. Virat Kohli: Top run scorer of the World Cup
Virat, as big as his name is, the work he has done for Team India is equally big. Made T20 debut on 12 June 2010 on Zimbabwe tour. Played the first T-20 World Cup in 2012, scored a match-winning fifty against Pakistan. Since then, he has participated in every World Cup, was the Player of the Tournament in 2014 and 2016, but the team could not perform as per expectations and remained away from the title.
If the best team in T-20 World Cup history is formed, then the first name in it will be Virat’s. Despite poor form in 2022, he was the top run scorer of the tournament. This time he did not last the entire tournament, but in the final when the team needed it most, he scored 76 runs and took it to a score where victory could be expected. He became the Player of the Final in his last match and played a key role in India’s World Cup victory. He ended his T20 career by becoming the top scorer in the World Cup.
A batsman with as much experience as Virat and who can handle the team in difficult situations comes only 1-2 times in a century. Team India will definitely include a batsman in his place, but will that player be able to get the team out of trouble like him or not? The answer to this question will be known only in the coming years.
Who will replace Virat?
- Shubhman Gill: If anyone can match Kohli’s class batting at this time, it is only Shubman. 24-year-old Gill has established his place for India in all three formats. He also has a century to his name in T-20 and will currently be seen leading Team India against Zimbabwe. He has already chased Kohli’s centuries in IPL, it remains to be seen whether he can fill Kohli’s place in T20 International or not?
- Ruturaj Gaikwad: Responsibility comes first with the name of Kohli. Gaikwad has done this work for CSK in IPL for the last few years. It was under his captaincy that India won the gold medal in the Asian Games last year. Gaikwad has also scored a T-20 century for India and will be seen playing at number-3 against Zimbabwe.
- Shreyas Iyer: Like Kohli, he bats reliably in the middle order and also became the captain who made KKR win the IPL last season. Although Team India has now dropped Shreyas from the T-20 team, but if you need as much experience and confidence as Kohli, then Shreyas’ option is also good.
IPL stars can also replace Kohli
- Riyan Parag: Ryan Parag, who made a place in Team India with his excellent performance for Rajasthan in IPL, is a part of the team on the Zimbabwe tour. At number-4, he got RR out of difficult situations many times, which is why he can be trusted. If Parag is successful on the Zimbabwe tour, he may be given opportunities in the middle order in future also.
- Tilak Verma: MI’s explosive middle order batsman Tilak has improved his game rapidly in the last two years. He was also a part of the Asia Cup squad last year. He bowls off spin and if Team India wants to fit an explosive batsman in place of Kohli, then there cannot be a better option than him.
- Some stars like Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nehal Wadhera, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar and Ramandeep Singh are also in the race. But BCCI will have to struggle the most to replace a World Cup superstar like Kohli.
Graphics: Mahesh Verma
