After helping India end the 17-year wait for the second T20 World Cup title in Barbados last week, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their decision to retire from T20Is. The two legendary batters finished their careers as the top two leading run scorers in T20Is as well as the T20 World Cup. The win in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 for India was a perfect farewell for Rohit and Virat.
After Virat and Rohit called time on their illustrious T20I careers, fans are eager to see who fills the void left by the two legendary batters. If one goes as per former Australian spinner Brad Hogg’s opinion, then Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma can be ideal replacements for Virat and Rohit in India’s T20I team.
According to the former ODI World Cup winner, Abhishek will be one of the perfect replacements for Rohit and Kohli, as he bats aggressively, and modern-day cricket needs a player like him who has a fearless approach.
Speaking in a video uploaded on his X handle, Hogg said, “India is taking on Zimbabwe, and it’s going to be a new look Indian team, but there are two positions that are up for grabs in the main 11; that’s the opening combination. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired, so who is going to take that spot? So this tour should open up a door or two to give a bit of an indication and an opportunity for two players to take it. I definitely have Abhishek Sharma up there in the top two.
“He’s aggressive. In the IPL 2024, he had a strike rate of over 200, opening the batting. At an average of 38, he doesn’t chew up too many balls; he doesn’t waste time. You need that aggressive player with the way the game’s changed, but you need to have him bat with someone with a little bit more conservativeness about their approach.”
“Someone who can bat through the innings and have that ability to really power home out the back, and it’s either Gaikwad or Gill. I’m looking at the potential. I think Gill has more potential than Gaikwad. He’s a lot younger as well, so there’s a lot more to see in the future. So for me on this Zimbabwe tour, I’d be looking for an open combination of Abhishek Sharma and Gill, a quality opening partnership that might be able to work together for the next 10 years,” he added.
Sharma fails on debut
Abhishek, who earned a place in the Indian team for the ongoing Zimbabwe tour after a superb show for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024, made his T20I debut on Saturday (July 6), but in his first match as an India player, the 23-year-old Amritsar-born cricketer failed to fire and got out after making zero runs from four balls.
He will look to come up with a big show for India in the second T20I, which is scheduled to take place at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday (July 7).
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