It is no secret that Indian cricket is in the mid of a transition period or on the way of seeing what the future of their team would look like. One of the chief questions for the Indian team though lies in who after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?
The duo might be around for some more time, as their call-up for the T20I series against Afghanistan in January suggested. But sooner or later, the younger crop will be taking over from the duo and take the team forward.
It shouldn’t be a complicated task considering the depth in talent in Indian cricket, but once Rohit and Virat leave the game, it will create a vacuum not seen before, which would be very hard to fill across all formats.
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The think tank of Indian cricket will have to plan very well for the next two or three years to set themselves well for life beyond Rohit and Virat. They will have to give consistent chances to youngsters so that they are mentally prepared for soaking in the pressure of playing a big tournament and rise to the occasion. One of the most important aspects for the transition in Indian cricket to come out perfectly will be communication.
If the powers in the know maintain communication with the players in the mix, give them clarity about the period of time and opportunities to be handed out in future as well as unbelievable backing irrespective of the results, then the evolution of Indian team can lead towards a team which produces consistent performances and eventually break the drought of a global trophy.
But there have been signs that India have tried to look for their options beyond Rohit and Virat. Once the Men’s ODI World Cup ended in a heartbreaking finale defeat for India, Rohit and Virat took a break from white-ball games of the South Africa tour. It gave options to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee towards who could be their potential successors.
Left-handed opener B Sai Sudharsan, who has seen a sky-rocketing rise in his fortunes, started his ODI career with two back-to-back half-centuries in South Africa last month. He’s also been in the India ‘A’ setup for nearly six months.
With his easy on the eye stroke play and technique plus temperament getting huge applause, Sudharsan can be the one for future. Also, Ruturaj Gaikwad has shown that he can be a regular fixture based on his good showings in white-ball matches.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been sparkling in his T20I and Tests showings, with his ODI debut certain to happen whenever the chance comes, so that he can be the next all-format batter for India along with Shubman Gill. Don’t be surprised if either of these three batters get selected into India’s squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy.