MS Dhoni is unarguably one of the best captains in the history of Cricket. The 42-year-old is the only captain to lift all ICC trophies so far ODI and T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy, and is known for his shrewd cricketing brain in Indian cricket.
1. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant could be the right man to take the role of MS Dhoni in the Indian team, shortly as he established himself as an indispensable member of the Indian team in all three formats. The youngster has grown up in the ranks since his debut for the Indian team, especially in the longer format of games scoring centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa making a name for himself in red-ball cricket.
The Southpaw has also shown some glimpses of potential in white ball cricket and will be the mainstay for the Men in Blue going forward and can be the next superstar for India in International Cricket and the Delhi batter has an ample amount of experience of leading Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League in 2021 and 2022 season and has potential to perform the role of the Indian team in all three formats.
2. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has been regarded as generational talent in Indian Cricket but has not got any consistent opportunity for the Indian team at the highest level. The Indian wicket-keeper was one of the unluckiest cricketers in the Indian team, as he made his debut for the Indian team in 2015, but has played only 28 games for the Men in Blue in International Cricket.
The Kerala batter was not given enough opportunities for the Indian team. Samson has performed exceedingly well for the Indian team in the limited opportunity in the 50-over format. Sanju Samson has scored 330 runs in 11 ODIs so far at an impressive batting average of 66. He is expected to take up the role of finisher for the Indian team in the future series and has the ability the take up the legacy of MS Dhoni in the coming years.
3. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan can be the perfect player for the Indian team as he brings versatility in the batting order and left-right combination into the play and the youngster has done a pretty decent job for the Indian team in the white ball format as he has smashed 510 runs at a good average of 42.5 in 14 ODIs, including an outstanding double hundred against Bangladesh and the southpaw has represented the Indian team in the shorter format of the game.
The Southpaw can be a three-format player for the Indian team in the future, as he got all can be lethal opening batting for the Indian team as well as playing in the middle over, as can play fearless brand cricket for Men in Blue in white ball cricket and the wicket-keeper batter is capable of leading the Indian team in the future having the lead the Indian in junior levels.
4. Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh Sharma has been in excellent form in the IPL 2022 and 2023, playing at different positions for the Punjab Kings in the cash-rich league, providing impetus in the middle overs for the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. The 29-year-old has impressed everyone with his hard-hitting batting and finishing abilities and has also been impressed with his work behind the stumps for Punjab Kings and Vidarbha.
Jitesh Sharma was part of the India T20 squad in the previous two series but could not make his debut for the Men in Blue and he can be a key player for the Indian team in the white-ball format of the game. The wicket-keeper batter would look to improve his batting skills to make a mark in the longer format of the game in the future.
5. Prabhsimran Singh
Prabhsimran Singh is one of the most impressive uncapped cricketers in the country and has impressed everyone with his explosive opening for the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. The 22-year-old has been brilliant with the bat for the Punjab Kings as he scored 358 runs this year’s season from 14 games with a strike rate of 150.42 in this edition of the Indian Premier League.
The Indian wicket-keeper batter has performed well in the domestic tournaments, where he had done well in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy for his domestic side.
The Punjab youngster played outstandingly well against Delhi Capitals on a tricky Arun Jaitley wicket to score a century, where most of the batters failed to get going especially with the spinners having some assistance from the surface and the Punjab youngster can be a prospect to match MS Dhoni’s legacy in the Indian team.