Karthik’s crucial message to Suryakumar and Gambhir on replacing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is: ‘There are 4 choices’

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played a crucial role in India’s triumph at the 2024 T20 World Cup, ending the team’s 11-year wait for the ICC title. Following India’s win over South Africa in the final held in Barbados on June 29, both legends announced their retirement from T20Is. Rohit ended his illustrious career as the leading run-scorer in T20 Internationals, while Kohli retired with the record for most runs by a player in T20 World Cup history.

With the retirement of these stalwarts, India will now focus on preparing for the next T20 World Cup, which will take place in two years’ time. The 10th edition of the tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and despite the considerable time remaining, discussions are already underway about possible replacements for Rohit and Kohli.

The Indian cricket community is abuzz with speculation as the team looks to build on the legacy of two of its finest players. Earlier this month, the BCCI announced Suryakumar Yadav as the team’s new T20I captain, with Shubman Gill as his deputy. During the tour of Zimbabwe that took place after the T20 World Cup, there were hints as to who the immediate successors to Rohit and Kohli could be; Gill opened the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma first, but the arrival of Yashasvi Jaiswal midway through the series meant that Sharma was pushed to No. 3.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik spoke about the possible replacements for Rohit and Kohli and named four players who can take their places, ahead of the next T20 World Cup.

“First of all they (Rohit and Kohli) are very difficult to replace but in the XI I think there are four choices right now. There is Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Shubman Gill,” Karthik said Cricbuzz.

“I think Yashasvi Jaiswal will definitely be in the starting line-up in T20I cricket,” he added.

Jaiswal has been a mainstay of the T20I team for months now and was also part of the T20 World Cup winning team. However, the young opener did not play a single match during the tournament as Rohit and Kohli were the first choice openers for the team.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, meanwhile, played excellently against Zimbabwe in the T20I series but were sidelined for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka, which also marks the start of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach. Tilak Varma, on the other hand, has made sporadic appearances for India in T20Is but was also not included in the squad against Sri Lanka.