When India face Sri Lanka in their three-T20I series starting Saturday, it will be the first time in ages that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja won't be featuring in a T20I squad together. The three veterans, who announced their retirements from T20 internationals following India's World Cup win, have moved on from the format to concentrate on ODIs and Tests. But while they had the perfect ending to their glorious T20I chapters, at the same time it has left behind a huge void. India's bench strength is one of the most envious set of resources in the world, but no matter how much promise it possesses, it doesn't – at least for now – make for the absence of three of India's biggest T20I match-winners.

Keeping the 2026 T20 World Cup in mind, the road ahead is expected to be a challenging one. With Suryakumar Yadav taking over as the next captain and Gautam Gambhir embarking on his journey as the head coach, India need to find reliable replacements. Between now and the next World Cup in India, there is still time, with the immediate need being to shape youngsters who will form the crux of the squad in the presence of seniors Surya, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.

This raises the inevitable question: Who are the ones to step up? Former India coach Ravi Shastri feels that while there may not be an immediate answer, the long-term prospect looks bright. At the top of his head, Shastri can't think of three names that can replace Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja, but it doesn't mean there aren't any.

"There's so many (good India) players out there and it's just about getting the right mix. I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later (at the 2026 T20 World Cup). You mentioned the three players who were retired (Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja), but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India," Shastri said during the ICC Review Show.

Shastri stresses on caution

Shastri, however, has cautioned the management not to rush into finding replacements, per say, and instead urged the need to identify roles as per players' calibre. Currently, two types of youngsters are knocking on the door – ones who have played a dent chunk of cricket such as Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar and those who are raw at the international circuit such as Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma. Hence, with so much talent in the pecking order, Shastri wants a definitive path churned out for every individual.

"So I don't think there's much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you'll have to choose from the new lot that's coming and there's some real exciting talent there. So I think it's the other way around. It's how do you get those guys in there that they're bursting at the scenes to get it. There's a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it's a good headache when you have that kind of talent," added the former coach.