File photo of Hardik Pandya (left) and Rohit Sharma.© AFP
The two greats of Indian cricket — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — called time on their T20I careers with India’s T20 World Cup triumph on Saturday. It was an emotional moment for both the players as the two played crucial roles for the national team in the format of the game for quite a long time. Virat led the team in T20Is before stepping down from the role in 2021. Rohit then took over the duties and fared well for India in the post. After India’s defeat to England in 2022 World Cup semi-final both Rohit and Virat missed T20I cricket the next year and it was Hardik Pandya, who led the team. Later, Rohit and Virat returned to the format with the former being the captain again.
It was a dream end to the T20I careers of Rohit and Virat on Saturday as they helped India clinch the title, with the former being the skipper of the team.
The duo’s retirement from the format has left a huge void in the T20I team of India now. But a bigger issue awaits the management as who will lead the team now. Hardik, who has fared well as captain in the shortest format, be it Indian Premier League or international cricket, seems to be the front runner.
However, when asked about his role in the upcoming years as there is another T20 World Cup set to take place in 2026, he decided not to comment much on it.
“How do you look at the role ahead? Two legends have retired from T20Is and you are expected to lead the team now. How do you see 2026?” asked a reporter after India’s T20 World Cup win in Barbados.
“There is a lot of time for 2026. I am very happy for both Rohit and Virat…two giants and legends of Indian cricket, who thoroughly deserved this. It has been so amazing playing with them for so many years. We all will miss them but at the same point, this is the best farewell we can give them,” Hardik told reporters.
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