Three big names of Indian cricket have called it time from T20 internationals and it is Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli with Ravindra Jadeja saying goodbye to T20I cricket. While the Indian skipper leave the format as leading run-scorer with 4231 runs, the star batter Kohli finished second in the list with 4188 runs for the time being. The departure of these three big icons means India will have to fill the squad with just more than talent as they take away plenty of experience from the side as well.
Here are some cricketers who can replace their seniors of Indian cricket…
Shubman Gill
Deemed as ‘Prince Of Cricket’ by his fans, Shubman Gill has been a regular fit for India in the white-ball format. However, he could make the cut in this T20 World Cup squad as the team wanted different combinations. He will lead the Men in Blue in the upcoming Zimbabwe.
Abhishek Sharma
He plays much like Rohit Sharma with an aggressive approach from the beginning of his career and has had a stellar IPL season in Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal is another IPL prodigy who has impressed at times wearing the Indian jersey. His ability to score big and quick can make him number one choice as an opener.
KL Rahul
Interestingly, Rahul is the most experience cricketer in the format for India after Virat Kohli and Rohit. His performance in the ODI World Cup was stunning but he was ignored this time for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma posed with the T20 World Cup trophy at a beach in Barbados on Monday. The Men in Blue won the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup after beating South Africa by seven runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the pictures of Rohit where he was seen posing with the prestigious trophy on the beach.
“A billion dreams, a billion emotions, and a billion smiles! Mission accomplished. World Cup conquered. We are World Champions. Hey, Captain! You’ve done it,” BCCI wrote on X while sharing the pictures.
Summarising the final match of the tournament, India won the toss and opted to bat first. After being reduced to 34/3, a counter-attacking partnership between Virat (76) and Axar Patel (47 in 31 balls, with one four and four sixes) of 72 runs restored India’s position in the game. A 57-run stand between Virat and Shivam Dube (27 in 16 balls, with three fours and a six) took India to 176/7 in their 20 overs.
Keshav Maharaj (2/23) and Anrich Nortje (2/26) were the top bowlers for SA. Marco Jansen and Aiden Markram took a wicket each.
In the run chase of 177 runs, Proteas was reduced to 12/2 and then a 58-run partnership between Quinton de Kock (39 in 31 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Tristan Stubbs (31 in 21 balls, with three fours and a six) brought back SA into the game. A half-century by Heinrich Klaasen (52 in 27 balls, with two fours and five sixes) threatened to take the game away from India.
However, Arshdeep Singh (2/18), Jasprit Bumrah (2/20) and Hardik (3/20) made a fine comeback in death overs, keeping SA to 169/8 in their 20 overs. Virat secured the ‘Player of the Match’ for his performance. Now, by securing their first ICC title since the Champions Trophy in 2013, India has ended their ICC trophy drought.