Dinesh Karthik names four players who can replace Kohli and Rohit in playing 11, only one picked for SL T20Is

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Dinesh Karthik has named four players who can act as replacements for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is after India won the T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies last month.

The senior players bid adieu to the shortest format of the game, making room for the next generation of India's T20I superstars. Dinesh Karthik, the former teammate of Kohli and Rohit, have handpicked four players who can replace them in the playing eleven of T20I matches for India.

Dinesh Karthik named Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Shubman Gill as the four replacements for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He added that Yashasvi Jaiswal's place was certain in the playing eleven of India in their upcoming T20I matches.

“First of all, they (Rohit and Kohli) are very hard to replace, but in the XI, I do think there are four choices at the moment. There’s Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Shubman Gill. I think Yashasvi Jaiswal will definitely be starting in the XI in T20I cricket,” Dinesh Karthik told Cricbuzz.

Notably, Shubman Gill is the only player from the choices made by Karthik to replace the legendary duo, to feature in the India squad for upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. Gill recently led the Indian team which toured Zimbabwe for five T20I matches.

Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad were also part of the series but did not find place in the Suryakumar Yadav-led India squad for Sri Lanka T20Is. Tilak Varma last played a T20I match for India last year in August 2023.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are expected to open in the series which starts from July 27. Sanju Samson and Riyal Parag are also part of the squad.