Virat Kohli– the run machine of India is going through the roughest patch of his career. Virat Kohli has accumulated only 236 runs in 13 matches at an average below 20. Moreover, he registered three golden ducks in the IPL season for the first time. This has raised many questions about Kohli’s place in T20 cricket. Thus, we sought for 5 best replacements for Virat Kohli in T20 cricket if he had to be dropped.
Here are 5 Players Who Can Replace Virat Kohli in T20 Cricket –
1) Hardik Pandya
Coming back from his back injury and leading a franchise in IPL was a massive turnaround in Hardik Pandya’s career. Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans phenomenally as they are the first team to qualify for TATA IPL 2022 playoffs.
Hardik Pandya showed glimpses of his early days with the bat and ball, however, his bowling was cut short when he started facing issues with his back again. Hardik has proven his mettle with the bat coming at number 3 or 4 for Gujarat Titans and been the 2nd highest scorer for his team. He has scored 351 runs in 12 innings with 87* as his highest score. He can be one of the best replacements for Virat Kohli at number 3 as he proved that he can anchor the innings as well in this season.
2) Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi is the leading run-scorer for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022. The uncapped Indian has proven his worth on numerous occasions and this year had been in the form of his life. Rahul Tripathi has an average close to 40 in 13 innings with 393 runs to his name and bats at number 3.
He could be a well-calculated one of the best replacements for Virat Kohli in T20s as the later is searching for his form.
3) Dinesh Karthik
From being a captain of KKR to a player in the side to an RCBian now. Dinesh Karthik could be an ideal replacement for Virat Kohli, only if Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant are moved up the order. Dinesh Karthik showed the world that there’s still cricket left in him and he eyes for a spot in the upcoming T20 world cup squad.
Although Karthik hasn’t batted enough balls, still he has managed to finish games off for Bangalore and has a strike rate of more than 200 in IPL 2022.
4) Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill opens the innings for Gujarat Titans and this year he has batted brilliantly with a better strike rate. Yet, his style of batting could be better utilized at the no.3 position in the batting order.
Shubman Gill is the highest run-getter for Gujarat and is a prominent part of the team’s success. With over 400 runs and a 135 strike rate, he can anchor the innings for India in the T20s.
5) Deepak Hooda
Lucknow SuperGiants batter Deepak Hooda started the tournament with a low not but how you start doesn’t matter but how you finish matters. With back-to-back fifties in the previous two matches, he has crashed into the top 5 run-getters of TATA IPL 2022. Deepak Hooda could be another option for a spot in team India.
Undoubtedly, the batters mentioned above have a significant form this year and proved their worth. Nevertheless, the fact that Virat Kohli is the greatest batsman of this generation and one poor IPL season cannot rule him out of the T20 cricket. Definitely, he needs to be rested to manage his workload and have him fresh for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.