Ranking 5 best Rohit Sharma replacements for India's T20I side ft. Shubman Gill
After years of giving it all in the shortest format, two giants of Indian cricket - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli - retired from T20I cricket after their victory in the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup. Rohit ended his T20I career as the highest run-scorer with 4,231 runs, while Kohli finished a close second with 4,188 runs.
Rohit Sharma turned around India’s approach in white-ball cricket, especially after his team’s exit in the 2022 semi-final in Adelaide. He walked the talk with the bat and took the attack to the opposition right from the word go. His absence will be felt by the side at the top of the order and it will be difficult to replace his impact as an opener.
Here we take a look at and rank 5 best Rohit Sharma replacements for India's T20I side:
#5 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Cool, calm, composed, and consistent - Ruturaj Gaikwad can be the perfect replacement for Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. A prolific run-scorer in the domestic circuit as well as for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, Gaikwad might be down in the pecking order, but he can certainly be a worthy replacement for India. He takes his time to get going, but once he hits his stride, he has shown the ability to score big and win games single-handedly.
Gaikwad is in the India squad for the Zimbabwe series and can be considered one of the better options in the country.
Here are his stats in the shortest format:
Matches 19, Runs 500, Average 35.71, Strike-rate 140.05, Highest Score 123*
#4 Abhishek Sharma
The left-hander from Punjab lit up the IPL this season with his powerpacked batting and considering the tempo Rohit Sharma set for the Indian team, he can be the perfect replacement.
Walking out to open the innings with Travis Head for SunRisers Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma was the story of the season as he piled up 484 runs in 16 appearances with an impressive strike rate of 204.21.
In recent years, India have changed their approach in T20 cricket and Abhishek can be the opener who takes down bowling attacks in the first five overs to set up a launchpad. He also brings handy slow left-arm bowling to the table and like Gaikwad, will be put to the test in the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.
#3 Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson was part of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup, but he could not get a game as Rishabh Pant was the preferred option at number 3. However, with Rohit Sharma deciding to walk away, Samson could be the new opener for India.
The right-hander has shown the ability to soak up pressure and then accelerate as per the needs of the game and is now one of the most experienced players for India in the shortest format. He has been quite a successful leader for Rajasthan Royals over the years and India would need this experience to set up a base for them. Samson has not managed to nail down a spot in India’s T20I side just yet, but with a position opening up, he could just be the perfect candidate to step up.
Here are his stats in the shortest format:
Matches 25, Runs 374, Average 30.70, Strike-rate 133.1, Highest Score 77
#2 Shubman Gill
One of the brightest talents in the world, Shubman Gill has been a regular for the Indian team in all the three formats over the past few years. He opened the batting alongside Rohit Sharma in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
He is the classical batter, adept at finding gaps, but in recent years, has really taken giant strides in T20 cricket. He now takes on the bowlers in the powerplay and is not shy of taking the aerial route. Gill was not part of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup, but has been named captain for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. This will be his chance to showcase his skills both as a skipper and with the bat.
Here are his stats in the shortest format:
Matches 14, Runs 335, Average 25.76, Strike-rate 147.57, Highest Score 126*
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal
The only reason Yashasvi Jaiswal did not feature in the playing XI in the T20 World Cup was the fact that the management wanted to play both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. One of the most versatile batters in India, Jaiswal has taken rapid strides in both Test and T20I cricket in the past year.
He takes down bowling attacks in the first six overs and is adept against both pace and spin. He has a decent IPL, was a bumper success in the Test series against England and showed his class in various conditions, from West Indies to South Africa. He will provide the option of a left-hander at the top of the order and considering his age, can be a real investment for India for the future.
Here are his stats in the shortest format:
Matches 17, Runs 502, Average 33.46, Strike-rate 161.93, Highest Score 100