India clinched a historic win against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final on Saturday in Barbados. The Men in Blue were finally able to end the string of disappointing performances in ICC tournament knockouts to lift the prestigious T20 World Cup trophy under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
The achievement feels special in many ways for the Indian fans who were eager to witness their captain bring the trophy back home. Rohit and team didn’t just win the title, they did in some style as they were undefeated the entire tournament. They became the first team in history to win the T20 World Cup title by staying undefeated in the whole tournament.
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Following the tremendous win, 36-year-old Rohit Sharma has finally decided to hang up his boots in the shorter format of the game and only focus on ODIs and Tests. India will be playing important World Test Championship (WTC) matches in coming months along with the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025.
With Rohit now retired, India will be needing a new star to take over the veteran’s place in T20I cricket. Who are the possible candidates that could lead India in T20I cricket following Rohit’s retirement? Let's find out.
Three players who could take over as India captain from Rohit Sharma in T20I cricket
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya comes up as the most obvious and logical choice to take the mantle from Rohit. He is already the vice-captain of the team and is also the captain of IPL side, Mumbai Indians. Pandya had a wonderful T20 World Cup campaign. His contributions with both bat and the ball in hand were one of the prime factors behind India lifting the trophy in Barbados.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant finally returned to playing cricket in the IPL over a year after his unfortunate accident. Pant made a stunning comeback into the Delhi Capitals side, playing just like his old self and captaining team. He was selected as India’s first choice keeper in the T20 World Cup because of his performances in the IPL.
Pant had a great start to the campaign but seemed to have fizzled out towards the backend of the tournament. He still is an ideal candidate to replace Rohit as the new T20I skipper, and would be the second favourite after Pandya.
READ MORE: India become first-ever team to win T20 World Cup title undefeated
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah was the man for India in the entire T20 World CUP 2024 campaign. India’s premier pacer delivered one of the best performances in an entire series, leading India to victories from impossible situations. Despite his obvious pedigree as a player, Bumrah still lacks any captaincy experience on a larger scale.
The lack of experience makes him the least favourite to take over as the captain of the team but could surely be a strong candidate in the future.
READ MORE: Is Rohit Sharma emulating MS Dhoni's captaincy legacy?
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