The Future of T20i Cricket for India

Newspapers, televisions, social media are filled of only one news- Virat Kohli steps down from T20i captaincy (not before T20 World Cup 2021). Yes, the heartbreak to Kohli fans is a huge one. This might be due to pressure from media or due to his performance with the bat or his inability to score a century that has got the better him. However, now, this is not the crisis as of now at least. What about the future of Indian cricket in T20i's. This is a very sensitive turn that this move has brought Indian cricket fans to.  First, what does a captain need to have?

1. IPL Trophies Leading by example performances

2. Playing unselfishly according to what the condition requires

3. Trust in players

4. Good fielding

5. Energy on and off the field

6. Hunger to win matches

Who will take over the reins from King Kohli and, the question is, does anybody have the potential to be called the run machine as captain? Who will fill these oversized shoes? A few options are discussed below-

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit is the first name anyone would think of, after Virat as the wall of the legacy of cricket in India. Netizens are very supportive of Rohit Sharma especially after Virat has not been able to win an ICC trophy. However, the hitman's fitness and his growing age might just be against him. The 34 year old has all the checkboxes ticked except for further career expectancy. Indian cricket needs a stable captain who can make his presence count for at least 8-10 years. But, his 5 IPL trophies might weigh heavier than age.

2. KL Rahul

Another potentially strong player is KL Rahul. Since the success of MS Dhoni, India might be raring to get a wicketkeeper batter to lead. One of those can be KL Rahul. Unlike Rohit, he might have 6-7 years more and has won matches single handedly for Punjab Kings. Although he has not shown any miracles happening, his captaincy has seen him select good team combinations. He is a perfect match but, given his recent form, he might be ruled out. In addition to this, he has been analysing the game from behind the stumps. As Gautam Gambhir said, we are yet to see Rahul's best, he might be a good option to pick.

3. Rishabh Pant

A 23 year old Rishabh pant has come into the limelight of contention for leaders due to an unexpected turn of events. After Shreyas Iyer was ruled out, the Delhi Capitals management's decision came as a surprise to pick Rishabh Pant as captain over Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin et all. It was not expected that a young Pant could dump mighty Dhoni's CSK in the opening fixtures of both of them. His bowling changes brought wickets, especially after he brought into attack Avesh Khan who dismissed the opposite skipper. In addition to this, he is leading by example and scoring good runs at an average of 35 and strike rate of 131. Age is also not a factor in his case and the fact that he is an aggressive wicketkeeper batter (like MS DHONI) puts him as one of the favourites.

4. Jasprit Bumrah

Many people believe that bowlers cannot make good captains but it is time we remove this stereotypic thought from our minds. We have seen DJ Bravo lifting the most T20 trophies, Lasith Malinga taking his side to a world cup win, Wasim Akram and Anil Kumble being good captains. It will do much good to India to replace their best batter with the best bowler and that might ensure no hostility between Rohit and Kohli in split captaincy. The bowler understands the game very well and can lead by example on the field by bowling good lengths and taking wickets. The 29 year old has all boxes ticked and can be the future of India.

5. Hardik Pandya

One of the most performing allrounders, Hardik has no experience as captain but his tactics were proved very well right in the 2016 world cup vs Bangladesh. He might just be the fit one with all criteria fulfilled as he can even bowl 3 overs in a T20i. He can be a perfect player under pressure as we have seen many times from the hard hitter and a good captain is one who can take his team home with composure and skill.

6. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the backbone of Indian bowling attack and has come out as a phenomenal leader of the pace attack and it is very much possible that due to his highly commendable cricket mind, he can lead the team very well. His experience as an SRH captain can also help. His exceptional bowling sets an example and his fielding skills speak themselves of his position in the team.

7. Prithvi Shaw

While the Mumbai batter is very young, his U-19 ambitions and captaincy in the Mumbai domestic cricket team has been excellent. Another fact that is to be noticed is that, his batting form did not drop once he became the captain. The leading run scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy has proved himself time and again and he is in contention but, to say the least, some experienced players can be considered ahead of him.