Hard to find replacements for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20: Rashid Latif, a former Pakistani player

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif is a critic of India’s intent to move on from the players Kohli and Sharma in the shortest format of cricket.

Following a 3-0 series sweep in Odi series, the Indian team was knocked back to earth by New Zealand in the first of three T20I series in Ranchi. Hardik Pandya leads a youthful team in the T20 Internationals, and the side was handed a reality check as New Zealand outplayed them in all departments on a pitch that turned square, catching the Indian hitters off guard. The hosts were reduced to 15/3 chasing a 177-run target but cameos from Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, as well as a fifty by Washington Sundar, helped India regain some dignity.

Without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, India has entered in a new age of the shortest format of the game, with the national team continuing to make inroads into what life after the three may look like.

Kohli and Sharma are India’s leading run scorers in the format, and coach Rahul Dravid has stated that resting the two was critical with the ODI World Cup approaching.

“There are specific white-ball competitions that must be prioritised. So the objective after last year’s T20 World Cup has been these 6 games (ODIs vs Sri Lanka and New Zealand), and Virat has played all six games and will be given rest along with Rohit,” Dravid added.

However, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif is sceptical of India’s desire to move on from the likes of Kohli and Sharma in the shortest version of the game.

Latif claimed on his YouTube channel that while India could substitute some players, the calibre of Kohli and Sharma was difficult to find in their ranks. “You could find a substitute for KL Rahul, but finding replacements for experienced players would be difficult” (like Kohli and Rohit). Yes, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, and Ishan Kishan might replace them in the future. However, they are comparable gamers with similar experiences who are all playing at the same moment. Can you go to the T20 World Cup final with these players?

“Gill, Shaw, Tripathi, Hooda, and Ishan… ” Can these guys get you to the championship game? There was an issue in yesterday’s match (1st T20I against NZ) since they did not have a senior player. He could have taken them across the final line if they had a senior player. “As a result, Hardik Pandya and Rahul Dravid may have to contemplate bringing in at least one of the two (Rohit and Kohli), if not both,” Latif said.

Kohli and Sharma will be back in action next month when Australia comes to India for a four-match Test series.