Win Projections to be updated soon
From 2017 until 2021, Virat Kohli was India’s full-time captain across all forms. During this time, the team played a fast-paced style of cricket and won series in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Under Kohli’s amazing leadership, India won the majority of the series at home. Due to the outstanding qualities Kohli acquired during that time, India achieved triumph. In order to assist Kohli in getting the required outcomes, these guys broke into the Indian team and delivered strong performances. These players have been integral members of the Indian side since Rohit Sharma assumed the captaincy role in February 2021 as a result of their outstanding ability to win matches.
The top five players Virat Kohli recommended to Rohit Sharma are listed below.
1. Shardul Thakur
The Indian team utilizes Shardul Thakur as an all-around player. He played in his first One-Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka in August 2017 at Colombo. The Mumbai cricketer has since participated in 38 one-day international matches for India, scoring 315 runs and taking 58 wickets.
While the West Indies were touring India in October 2018, Shardul made his Test debut. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020–21 match between India and Australia, he was a crucial part of their triumph. In the final Test he played at the Gabba, India prevailed by three wickets thanks to his all-around performance (67 in the first innings and 7/155 bowling stats).
Thakur was a member of the final India team for the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) under Rohit Sharma. Under Rohit’s leadership, the 31-year-old is regularly participating in ODI cricket, and in the next days, Shardul might be seen using his all-around abilities to significantly advance Indian cricket.4
2. Mohammed Siraj
Along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj is an essential component of India’s speed attack. During the 2017 tour of India by New Zealand, the right-arm bowler made his debut in international cricket. Siraj had the opportunity to compete in his first international match during the second T20 International match against the Black Caps.
He played a three-match ODI series whilst on tour in Australia in 2019. In the second one-day match, India’s then-captain Virat Kohli gave the pacer a chance. Siraj also got his Test debut in 2020 while India was on tour in Australia. He demonstrated his talent in the Pataudi Trophy 2021–22, collecting 18 wickets in nine innings of five Test matches, finishing as the competition’s fourth-leading wicket-taker.
In the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023 squad, the Hyderabad-born speedster played for India’s playing XI against Australia. Siraj ended up being the team’s leading wicket-taker with five dismissals despite India’s defeat to Australia. The 29-year-old has become one of one-day cricket’s top pacers under Rohit’s guidance.
3. Kuldeep Yadav
Due to his extraordinary talent, Kuldeep Yadav might join the ranks of the greatest spin bowlers. The left-arm wrist spinner has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to outperform batters with his superb bowling. In the last ten years on the international circuit, spinners have bowled some of their best deliveries, and his magnificent ball against Babar Azam during the 2019 World Cup is among the best.
During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2016–17 in March 2017, Kuldeep made his debut in international cricket. Kuldeep received his ODI and Test debuts from Kohli in the same year. His partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal in white-ball cricket gained notoriety for inflicting harm on the opposition.
He led India’s spin attack at the 2019 World Cup alongside Chahal, taking six wickets in seven games for an economy of 5.02. Under Rohit’s leadership, the 28-year-old is a crucial component of India’s ODI squad. Since Kuldeep is a strong member of the team and Rohit is aware of his remarkable talent, he will work to make use of his abilities and help India achieve success in the future.
4. Yuzvendra Chahal
As the captain of the team’s spin attack in white-ball cricket, Yuzvendra Chahal is an essential member of India’s bowling unit. Chahal was given the chance to make his international debut in the first ODI in Harare by MS Dhoni, the then-Indian captain, during the 2017 India tour of Zimbabwe.
Nevertheless, during Kohli’s time as captain, he was a consistent member of the national squad. Chahal earned Kohli’s trust after bowling six strikes in the third Twenty20 International at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2016 when England was touring India. Later, with his match-winning bowling in ODI cricket, he also demonstrated his abilities.
He bowled well throughout the 2019 World Cup, finishing with 12 wickets in eight games at an economy of 5.97. The current captain of India, Rohit, continues to put his belief in Chahal because of his skill with the ball and ability to help India win several crucial matches.
5. Rishabh Pant
For India, Rishabh Pant has excelled as a wicketkeeper batter. In Test matches, it was his batting performance that enabled the team to defeat Australia in their own backyard for the second straight Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2021. He became India’s leading run-getter in the competition after accumulating 274 runs in three of the series’ games.
Taking over as India’s white-ball captain in 2017, Kohli gave Pant an opportunity during the T20I series between India and England in February 2017. The southpaw batted at number six in the third Twenty20 International. He made his ODI and Test debuts the following year.
Due to the accident he had in December 2022 on the Delhi-Dehradun highway, Pant is now not playing cricket. When he was not available, captain Rohit tried Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson in the one-day format, but neither of the players was as successful as the 25-year-old nimble left-handed batter.
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