"It's a big loss"- Scott Styris on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is

Former New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris has opened up on the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja from the T20Is. The trio of Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja signed off from T20I cricket after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024, which India eventually won.

All three players decided to end their T20I careers on a high. It might seem like a big loss to Indian cricket given the stature of these players, but the depth of Indian cricket is such that the upcoming players are more than ready to take their spots.

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"You’ve got such depth" - Scott Styris

During an interview with News18 CricketNext, Scott Styris felt that one needs to have a succession plan so that the team doesn't get affected in case of the retirement of big players. Styris was also impressed with the young Indian batters and their performances in the IPL and feels that they are ready to fill in the big shoes now.

"I commentated in the IPL and said there that you have to have a succession plan and you have to make sure that you don’t have a lot of players retire at the same time. So, the way that the IPL went this year with a lot of huge scores in the way that the local Indian batsmen played, I think right now is a perfect time to bring some of those young players in," Styris opined.

Styris further mentioned that India's bench strength gives them plenty of options even to replace high-class players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja.

"They know all the players, all the teams, what international cricket’s like. So, when they get to a World Cup, they’re ready to go. So, yeah, I agree it’s a big loss, losing Virat (Kohli), losing Rohit (Sharma), losing Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja]. However, you’ve got such depth," Styris said.

Who will be the replacements for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is?

In the series against Zimbabwe that followed the T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian team management hinted at the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal as replacements for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both the batters have been impressive in their short international careers so far and look good to serve India in the future.

Gill is already seen as an all-format player for India. Recently. he was appointed India's vice-captain for the T20Is and ODIs in Sri Lanka. The selectors feel that the youngster has the potential to be India's future captain.

On the other hand, Jaiswal is a vital cog in India's batting line-up in Tests and T20Is. He was also a part of India's squad that won the T20 World Cup 2024, where he was the third opener behind Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Jaiswal is known to be someone who has a variety of shots in his repertoire. His skills make him a versatile batter in the T20 format.