Not Rishabh Pant!! Indian players set to replace Virat Kohli in T20Is finalized

Virat Kohli has bid farewell to the T20I format after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The right-handed batsman announced his retirement from T20Is after India defeated South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. 

Virat Kohli made his T20I debut in June 2010 against Zimbabwe and played a total of 125 games till his retirement. The former India skipper smacked slammed 1 century and 38 half-centuries during his career, with a batting average of 48+.  

Kohli batted at one-down position in T20Is for most of his career, except for the recent T20 World Cup 2024 where he played the role of an opener. After his retirement, Team India will need a powerful top-order batter who can contribute an equally powerful performance.

Since Kohli only played as an opener or one-down in the shortest format, India will need a powerful batter at that position. Below are 5 Indian Players who can replace Virat Kohli in T20Is. 

5 Indian Players Who Can Replace Virat Kohli In T20Is

5. Yashasvi Jaiswal 

Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 as one of the openers but did not play any game. Since Kohli took the opening slot with Rohit Sharma and the pair was doing fine, Jaiswal was benched in all matches. 

However, Jaiswal has been a stunning opener for Rajasthan Royals in the last few IPL seasons. He has also impressed as an opener for the national side in many series across all formats. Hence, he can be a good replacement for Kohli as he can also play in all formats. 

4. Shubman Gill 

Shubman Gill made his way into the national team by replacing Shikhar Dhawan and has cemented his place on the national side. The right-handed batsman has a similar persona to Kohli- starting slow but gearing up as the match progresses. Also, Gill slammed a T20I century and can bat in the middle-order too like Kohli. 

Also Read: Watch: Ishant Sharma's tears flow watching Virat Kohli's emotional goodbye to T20I cricket

3. Sai Sudharsan 

Sai Sudharsan is another batter who can replace Virat Kohli in the shortest format. Like Kohli, Sudharsan also bats in the middle order. He has been a consistent batter for Gujarat Titans since their inception in the 2022 season.

In IPL 2024, he shattered 527 runs in 12 games at 47+ average and 141+ strike rate. He also slammed a century in one match. 

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad 

Ruturaj Gaikwad has impressed in IPL for quite some time now and has been a successful opener and one-down batter for Chennai Super Kings. He played a major role in helping CSK to win titles in the 2021 and 2023 seasons.

In IPL 2024, he shatteed 583 runs in 174 games at an average of 53+; hitting 1 ton and 4 fifties in the process. 

Also Read: Watch: 'GOAT' Rohit Sharma eats Barbados pitch soil as he imitates Novak Djokovic's famous act

1. Sanju Samson 

Interestingly, another prominent player who can replace Kohli in the shortest format is Sanju Samson. The RR skipper can play as an opener or top order like Kohli and is one of the experts in that slot. 

He also gave a wonderful show in this year's IPL season, hitting 531 runs in 16 games at a 48+ average and 153+ strike rate. After his stellar show, the wicketkeeper batter was picked for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 squad.