Ex-India head coach issues warning as Gautam Gambhir hunts for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli's replacements in T20Is

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri opened up on possible replacements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian T20I side.

The trio announced their retirement from the T20I format after India won their second T20 World Cup title and ended their ICC title drought after 11 years. This was the second time India won the T20 World Cup title and their first since 2007.

Rohit Sharma ended as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament. Virat Kohli after not scoring too many runs in the first seven games scored an unbeaten 76 in the final. Jadeja picked up just one wicket in the tournament and ended his T20I career on 54 wickets.

Ravi Shastri on the ICC Review Show spoke about the trio and whether it is possible to find an ideal replacement for each of them. At the top of his head, Shastri couldn't think of three names that can replace Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja.

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Ravi Shastri Asks management not to rush with replacements

"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). 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," Shastri said during the ICC Review Show.

However, Shastri added that there needs to be no rush in finding replacements of the previous three matchwinners and the aim should be to identify them and groom them. Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad were the key performers from the last series against Zimbabwe who were not picked for the Sri Lanka series.

"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. 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," he further added.

Rohit Sharma ended his career as the top run-getter in the format as of now with 4231 runs from 159 matches. Kohli is ranked second on the list with 4188 runs and Babar Azam is third with 4145 runs. The Pakistan skipper is expected to get past Rohit's tally soon.

Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir's biggest challenge as head coach will be to find the core of the T20I side and build the side on the back of players like Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah.

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