What If Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Get Injured Before World Cup 2023?
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli together (Twitter)
"When I die, the last thing I want to see is the six that Dhoni hit in the 2011 World Cup final." These are Sunil Gavaskar's words on India's historic World Cup win at Wankhede 12 years back which sums up what it means to win the World Cup title for a cricket crazy nation like India. 12 years down the line, the World Cup is back in India and the buzz around the event is intensifying with each passing day.
There were likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan in the 2011 team which carried the loads of expectations back then. Now, in this 2023 team, two names stand out - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma who will walk on the field with great expectation on their shoulders. They are the heart and soul of the current India team and one just cannot imagine Indian team in the World Cup without these two stalwarts.
However, what if these two get injured right before the World Cup and are ruled out of the marquee event? How will Team India look without these superstars and what could be the possible issues if such an unforeseen situation comes true? Let's find out.
Who Will Replace Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli?
Rohit Sharma opens for India and Virat Kohli bats at 3 and these are the most important positions in the batting order. Both of them have scored tons of runs in these respective positions and their absence would create a big hole. Talking about their replacements, Ishan Kishan could open the innings alongside Gill if Rohit Sharma is injured and Shreyas Iyer can bat at 3.
In such a situation, someone like Tilak Varma or Sanju Samson can bat at number 4 or even Rahul can go one position up from number 5 and Suryakumar Yadav can fit in at 5 with Hardik Pandya at 6.
Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav are in the Asia Cup squad as backup batters, so these two will most probably fit into the XI if both Rohit and Kohli miss out. In such a case, Sanju Samson who is a backup for KL Rahul in the Asia Cup squad could find a place in the main squad for World Cup 2023.
Who Will Lead Team India?
Hardik Pandya is the current designated vice captain of the side and currently led India in the two ODIs as well against West Indies. He has been leading India in T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup but is quite inexperienced as an ODI skipper, and recently was under criticism for his bizarre tactics in T20I series which India lost against Windies.
Rohit Sharma with the World Cup 2023 trophy (Twitter)
However, he will most likely lead India if Rohit Sharma is not present and Jasprit Bumrah could be the vice-captain of the side. The absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could create big leadership and experience hole which could well spoil India's party in front of their passionate home crowd.
A Wild-Card Entry For Shikhar Dhawan?
Shikhar Dhawan, one of the India's most successful ODI openers has been out of the ODI setup since December 2022. However, the man even led India before that and could be a good addition in the absence of Rohit and Kohli. His experience could be a key and can fit into the opener's role seamlessly too.
Also, Dhawan's record in ODI World Cups is pretty good with 537 runs in 10 innings. He averages 53.70 and has scored three centuries with one fifty. Many feel that Shikhar Dhawan is unfortunate to miss out and he might well be that game-changer wild-card entry.
India's Probable XI In World Cup 2023 (If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli miss out)
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
Note - Shikhar Dhawan can also fit into the team if the selectors opt for experience in the absence of Rohit and Kohli.
These are all extreme possibilities though and let's hope that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are fit and raring to go for the all-important World Cup 2023.
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