5 Indian players who made their T20I debuts under Virat Kohli and are now big stars
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli stunned the cricket universe earlier today by announcing that he will step down as the T20I captain of India after the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
The 32-year-old mentioned that he had been playing in all three formats of the game consistently for many years now.
Hence, he wanted to step down as the captain so that he can manage his workload and focus on his game as a proper batter.
Virat Kohli won 29 matches as Indian T20I captain
The BCCI is yet to announce Virat Kohli's successor, but Indian cricket fans will never forget Kohli's contributions. He not only led the Men in Blue to historic T20I series wins overseas but also prepared stars for the future.
In this listicle today, we will have a look at the five Indian players who started their T20I careers under Virat Kohli and are now well-established stars.
1. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant made his T20I debut in Virat Kohli's first international series as the Indian T20I captain. Pant played his first game against England in Bengaluru on February 1, 2017.
The southpaw is now considered among the best wicketkeeper-batters in the world. So far, Pant has played 29 T20I innings for India, scoring 512 runs. He will play for the country in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021.
2. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is another middle-order batter who made his T20I debut under Virat Kohli. The right-handed batter played his first T20I game against New Zealand on November 1, 2017.
Iyer has aggregated 550 runs in 26 T20I innings for India so far. His batting average is 28.95, while his highest score is 67. Iyer is part of the reserves for the T20 World Cup 2021.
3. Shardul Thakur
Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur made his T20I debut for India against South Africa in 2018. He has been a wicket-taking bowler for the Indian cricket team in T20Is.
Thakur has scored 69 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 200 so far. In the bowling department, he has scalped 31 wickets at a strike rate of 14.68.
4. Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar is another pace-bowling all-rounder who started his T20I career under Virat Kohli. Chahar made his debut against England in an away T20I series played in 2018.
The right-arm pacer has scalped 20 wickets in 14 T20Is so far. He holds the record for the best bowling figures in T20I history, having returned with figures of 6/7 in a match against Bangladesh.
5. Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav is the only player on this list who is neither in the T20 World Cup main squad nor in the reserves. The left-arm wrist-spinner made his T20I debut against West Indies at Sabina Park in 2017.
Yadav has played 23 T20Is for the nation thus far, picking up 41 wickets, with his best figures being 5/24. He recently played for the country on the Sri Lanka tour but missed out on the T20 World Cup team.