With India set to face Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series in Kandy, it will be the start of a new chapter for the national team under their newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Suryakumar Yadav. The three senior and experienced members of the team- captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have already called their time from the shortest format of the game.
Their full concentration now is on the One-day Internationals and the Test format. All three players ended their T20I career for India with a memorable moment having won the T20 World Cup 2024 beating South Africa in the final at the Kensington Oval.
Even though the blue brigade has a very strong bench strength with a lot of resources who have done well over the years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it will take time for the team to fill up the void left by these three experienced players.
‘You will get a problem on your hands…’- Former India coach
India will look to begin their preparation for the upcoming season of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, as they have to find replacements for those three players besides those who would be better for the conditions that they would be getting for the next competition.
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However, the two-times champion have time in their hand between now and the next event to find the best youngsters and shape themselves for a specific position, in the presence of the seniors like captain Suryakumar Yadav himself, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
But who could be those players? The former Indian captain Ravi Shastri was asked the exact question during the latest episode of the ‘ICC Review’, where he couldn’t come up with an immediate answer but felt that the long-term prospect would look in a bright spot.
‘There’s so many (good India) players out there and it’s just about getting the right mix. I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later (at the 2026 T20 World Cup).’ The former India captain expressed during the interaction. ‘You mentioned the three players who were retired (Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja), but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India.’
Currently for the replacement of Kohli and Rohit, the Indian team has got the services of two great opening batters- Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad- both of whom have made a decent in their career for India in the shortest format of the game.
The vice-captain of the 2007 champion side, Gill has collected 505 runs in 19 innings at an average of nearly 30 with a strike rate of close to 140, thanks to his three half-centuries and one-century knock. On the other hand, Gaikwad has smashed 633 runs in 20 T20I innings, at an average of just under 40 and a strike rate of 144, with four half-centuries and one fifty.
In the case of Jadeja’s place, India can think of Washington Sundar, who has nailed 135 T20I runs and picked up 42 wickets in this format at an economy of under seven. The likes of Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma too are expected to earn more success.
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‘So I don’t think there’s much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you’ll have to choose from the new lot that’s coming and there’s some real exciting talent there. So I think it’s the other way around.’ The former India head coach elaborated.
‘It’s how do you get those guys in there that they’re bursting at the scenes to get it. There’s a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it’s a good headache when you have that kind of talent.’ Ravi Shastri concluded.
