Piyush Chawla made a bold boast, calling himself the ‘next Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’ of Indian cricket. Chawla selected two right-handed hitters who were not part of the 2024 T20 World Cup roster.
Rohit and Virat departed from T20Is following India’s successful performance in the major tournament, but they remain the backbone of the batting line in ODI and Test cricket.
Virat and Rohit have both captained India in all three formats of the game for many years, and they have also led the Indian hitting unit across formats for more than a decade.
While Kohli has been a pillar of the national team since his ODI debut in 2008, T20I debut in 2010, and Test debut in 2011, Rohit has established himself as one of the greatest openers of all time since being promoted to white-ball cricket in 2013 and red-ball cricket in 2019.
However, age has caught up with both the storied cricketers. Rohit Sharma is 37 years old and Virat Kohli will turn 36 in November this year. Both resigned from T20I cricket following India’s historic victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup earlier this year, and it is unclear how long they will play in ODIs and Tests.
Shubman Gill & Ruturaj Gaikwad: Piyush Chawla’s picks for next Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Of Indian Cricket
Piyush Chawla was asked by journalist Shubhankar Sharma to name the Next Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma of Indian Cricket on his podcast. The veteran leg-spinner named Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad as potential successors of Rohit and Kohli.
“Shubman Gill. Because of his technique. When you go through a bad form, the batter whose technique is strong can come out of it. Any batter whose technique is good, does not stay out for form for a long time. And Ruturaj Gaikwad. Whenever he (Ruturaj Gaikwad) gets a chance, he looks like a different player,” said Chawla on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel.
Question- Are The Next Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Of Indian Cricket?
Piyush Chawla – Shubman Gill & Ruturaj Gaikwad.
(Gill's strong technique helps him bounce back from bad form quickly. Similarly, Rutu shows his class every time he gets a chance.)#RohitSharma #ViratKohli… pic.twitter.com/pN3h8OY4ER— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) September 12, 2024
Shubman Gill is currently a regular for India across all three formats. He was recently selected vice-captain in both the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka.
He was a member of the Indian side that advanced to the final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup but was dropped from the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup victory. He has played 25 Tests, 47 ODIs, and 21 T20Is for India, scoring 11 hundreds in all forms.
Ruturaj has struggled to establish a continuous presence in the national squad during his career, having played only 6 ODIs and 23 T20Is. The 27-year-old has yet to make his Test debut for India.
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