Team India Strongest T20 Playing 11 without Rohit and Kohli

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired as we look at the current strongest T20 playing 11 for Team India without them. 

June 29 is the day that will have mixed emotions for every Indian cricket fan. But why will June 29 have mixed emotions? Well, not only is it the day when India won an ICC Trophy after a gap of almost 11 years, but it is also the day when three of India’s legendary players, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 Internationals.

Three senior players along with Rahul Dravid, who bid farewell to Indian cricket as the Head Coach won’t be a part of the future T20I programs for Team India. Along with them, a few more like Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj may also find it difficult to get a place in the T20I squad with the focus shifting to T20 World Cup 2026 via youngsters.

With so many changes happening, it would be interesting to see what the current strongest playing 11 looks like for Team India. Of course, India haven’t selected a full-strength squad against Zimbabwe, so it won’t be ideal to use that as a base. So, we need to analyze all the 20-30 probables, and find out the current strongest T20 playing 11 for Team India without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.  

Team India’s Current Strongest T20 Playing 11 – No Rohit and Kohli

Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal & Abhishek Sharma

Starting with the openers, this is a big void to fill with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both not available. With these two stalwarts absent, who does the team pick as the strongest option? Well, one name that will definitely make the team stronger in the duo’s absence, is Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal was the backup opener in the T20 World Cup, and he is definitely the one who will take the team to better heights. 

But who partner Yashasvi at the top? Now, this will be an interesting choice, and there are as of now four options to explore in the form of Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma. If we talk about the prediction, Shubman Gill seems the main to partner Yashasvi. But, is he the strongest option? Well, certainly not. Gill does have experience, but what Abhishek can bring to the table is something exceptional. The fearless brand of cricket, and a good 2-3 overs of spin is what differentiates Abhishek. Hence, he will be the choice for the strongest opening combination along with Yashasvi. 

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ALSO READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Best Squad Players List for Team India

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Middle-order: Suryakumar Yadav & Rishabh Pant

Coming to the middle-order, Rishabh Pant batted at number 3 in the T20 World Cup and SKY at 4. This move made sense with no lefty in the top 3, but with Yashasvi at the top, it is better SKY plays at his usual position, that is number 3, and Rishabh Pant moves back to number 4 to tackle the spinners in a better way. SKY has been a revelation in the T20s, and somehow, his batting wasn’t utilized to full ability in the T20 World Cue, hence, he should move back to his usual number 3 position. 

Finishers: Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh & Axar Patel

Talking about the finishers, Shivam Dube, who played for India at 5 is in no way a player that will make India stronger. Even in the T20 World Cup, Dube didn’t have the best of the outing. In place of Dube, Rinku seems a more potent option, who will make India’s finishing stronger. With Jadeja not there, more than the batting depth, India need a stronger finisher, and no better than Rinku Singh at the moment.

With Rinku Singh there, even if India doesn’t have the batting depth, there is a strong finishing option still. So, Captain Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel alone will bat with even more freedom. While India had batting depth in Jadeja at T20 WC, currently there’s only Washington Sundar who can play that role, but Sundar will need to prove in the next 1 year to make that place of his own.   

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami & Jasprit Bumrah 

Finally, talking about the bowlers, Team India will definitely benefit if the same set of the trio, viz., Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadhav continues playing for India in T20Is. But one name that should definitely make India stronger is Mohammed Shami. Shami is honestly the second-best pacer for India, and if fit, should even be selected above Arshdeep. 

Team India Current Strongest T20 Playing 11 without Rohit and Kohli

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
2. Abhishek Sharma
3. Suryakumar Yadav
4. Rishabh Pant
5. Hardik Pandya
6. Rinku Singh
7. Axar Patel
8. Arshdeep Singh
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Mohammed Shami
11. Jasprit Bumrah

While overall, this is definitely a strong playing 11, the only drawback this team has is a lack of batting depth. Sure, Arshdeep, Kuldeep, and Shami can bat, if they can further improve their batting, India should be able to defend their T20 World Cup trophy. Overall, other than these players, India will also keep an eye on Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi Sanju Samson, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Nitish Reddy. 

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