After helping India to their second consecutive T20 World Cup victory, Rohit Sharma has said goodbye to the game’s shortest format. After an exciting final in which the Men in Blue defeated South Africa by seven runs, the ‘Hitman’ raised the curtain in style and put an end to their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought.
Following his teammate Virat Kohli’s declaration of his T20I retirement, Rohit made his announcement during the post-final news conference. The vacuum they left behind will not be easily filled as the iconic duo of Indian cricket will now concentrate on the ODI and Test formats.
As a batsman and captain, Rohit has led the team from the front and set numerous records in the 20-over format. With 4231 runs in 159 games, including a record five hundreds, the seasoned opener is presently the all-time top run scorer. The Indian management has built a strong bench, despite the fact that it will be challenging to find someone to replace him.
In T20Is, the following three players could take Rohit Sharma’s place:
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad is a daring opening batsman for India. He has played 19 Twenty20 International matches so far, scoring 500 runs at a strike rate of 140.06 and an average of 35.71. While he hasn’t been reliable for the national team, his great IPL performances and leadership position with the wildly successful Chennai Super Kings organisation make him a serious contender for the position.
In his maiden assignment as the five-time champs’ captain, Gaikwad did not allow pressure impact his batting. With 583 runs in 14 games at an average of 53.00, he led the squad from the front and ended as the tournament’s second-highest run scorer.
Also read: 3 players could take Virat Kohli’s spot in the Indian T20I team
2. Shubman Gill
In this category, Shubman Gill is perhaps the top pick. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s outstanding form and marginally more encouraging performances caused the right-hander to lose his spot in the Indian T20 team. Gill might rejoin the squad now that Rohit has vacated his position, and the management might view Gill as a potential captain for the limited-overs format of cricket.
Notably, Gill led the Gujarat Titans in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Despite not being a particularly good captain, he did well at the bat. In addition, he will serve as captain of India’s cricket team when they visit Zimbabwe in the near future to play a five-match series against the continent. The 24-year-old has participated in 14 Twenty20 matches thus far and amassed 335 runs—including a century—at a strike rate of 147.58.
3. Abhishek Sharma
In the limited overs format, Rohit Sharma made a reputation for himself as one of the most potent hitters. Abhishek would be a great choice if India is looking for someone who can hold this title. One of the academics who elucidated the future of T20 cricket was the southpaw, and IPL 2024 demonstrated what that future would hold.
The Punjab-born player opened the innings for the winning Sunrisers Hyderabad, displaying some brutal hitting. In the event, he and Travis Head both shattered multiple hitting records. With a remarkable strike rate of 204.22, the 23-year-old scored 484 runs from 16 games, including three consecutive half-centuries.
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