T20 World Cup 2022: 3 players who can replace Virat Kohli in the tournament

The Indian cricket team is preparing for the upcoming T20I World Cup 2022 in Australia after a disappointing campaign in the last edition. India are set to face West Indies in a five-match T20I series starting on July 29 and have already played 10 T20I matches since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League 2022.

The Men in Blue are likely to mount a title challenge in Australia but need to address some issues among the squad. One of the biggest issues they are facing is the form of key batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Management is testing too many combinations to form a preferred starting eleven in the T20I setup, but it is clear that they are not even close. India rank first in ICC Men’s T20 teams’ charts but will be vulnerable in the mega tournament with their key players out of form.

Rohit scored just 66 runs in three T20I matches against England and Virat Kohli managed only 12 runs in two matches. BCCI decided to rest Kohli for the West Indies tour which surprised many as the star batter was rested for the last month’s T20I series against Ireland and South Africa as well. The former skipper still maintains a 50-plus average in T20I cricket and it will be hard to believe a World Cup squad without him.

Fans and many are already raising a question about Kohli’s possible emission from the T20I World Cup squad and India are well stacked with players who can take his place.

Let’s take a look at three players who can replace the Indian legend in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

1. Shreyas Iyer

The 27-year-old batter is capable of playing in any middle-order position and he has proved his worth with consistent performances in the last two years. He smashed three unbeaten consecutive fifties against Sri Lanka before the start of IPL 2022.

Shreyas Iyer scored 401 runs in IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders and has scored two fifties in the first two ODI matches in the ongoing West Indies tour. Iyer played a crucial 28-run knock against England in the first T20I match earlier this month but was not part of the next two matches when Virat joined the squad.

He is likely to be the first player to be considered as Kohli’s replacement in the upcoming World Cup and clearly he deserves this. However, he will have to play well consistently to seal that position ahead of the mega event.

2. Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda’s emergence in international cricket has come as a pleasant shock for many. The right-handed batter scored 451 in just 14 IPL matches at an average of 32.21 and a strike rate of 136.66 this season. He was part of five-match T20I series against South Africa but couldn’t get a chance in the starting eleven.

But he smashed unbeaten 47 runs while opening an inning against Ireland in the first T20I match and his first international century in the next match. He scored another fifty in the warm-up fixture on England’s tour and scored 33 runs in the only T20I he played against England.

He will find it tough to start every T20I match for India as management is likely to go with Surykumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and Dinesh Karthik as preferred middle-order options. Hooda is capable of playing in any position and offers more with his off-spin bowling. If Kohli misses out on the World Cup in Australia, then Hooda is likely to play not all but a few matches.

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad has proven his worth already by consistently scoring big runs in domestic cricket for Maharashtra and Chennai Super Kings in IPL for the last two years. He has already featured in nine IPL matches and has scored 135 runs at an average of 16.9. He is likely to be part of India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 but will not be a sure starter.

Gaikwad is not a well-known big-hitter in T2o cricket but offers stability with his technical gameplay, which is similar to Kohli’s style and approach to building up an inning from another end. KL Rahul has not played any international cricket since the conclusion of IPL 2022 but will be part of starting eleven of any T20 team in the world.

If Kohli is left out for the ICC tournament then management can explore the option of Rahul playing in the middle-order. That will open a spot for the opening batter to partner skipper Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj definitely get a chance to feature in the starting eleven.