"These 2 players are special" - Piyush Chawla picks 2 names who can fill the big boots of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian team

Experienced Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla reckons that Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad are the two batters who can fill the void that will be created once Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from all formats of international cricket. Chawla described both Gill and Gaikwad as special players.

Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from the T20I format after Team India's triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup played in the West Indies and the United States. The duo remains available for the other two formats. However, Rohit turned 37 in April, while Kohli will be 36 in November. The two batting greats are nearing the end of their illustrious career.

Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast, Chawla picked Gill and Gaikwad as two batters who have the potential to take over from the likes of Rohit and Kohli. Praising the two top-order batters, he commented:

"Shubman Gill - because of his technique. Whenever one goes through poor form, a batter who is technically strong can come out of it. Any batter who has a good technique cannot stay out of form for too long. So, Shubman Gill for sure and Ruturaj Gaikwad."

On Gaikwad being in and out of the Indian team due to injury and other reasons, the seasoned leggie opined:

"(Getting dropped/ injured) is part and parcel of the game. It will keep happening. But, whenever he has got the opportunity, he has looked different. For me, these two players (Gill and Gaikwad) are special."

Gill led India A in the first round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy. He will next be seen in action for India during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, which starts on September 19. Gaikwad, who is captaining India C in the Duleep Trophy, was forced to retire hurt after just two balls in the match against India B at the Rural Development Trust Stadium B in Anantapur on Thursday.

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Gill and Gaikwad's record for India so far

Gill, recently turned 25, has represented India in 25 Tests, 47 ODIs, and 21 T20Is, scoring 1492, 2328, and 578 runs, respectively. The right-handed batter has four hundreds in Tests, six in ODIs (including a double ton), and one in the T20I format.

Gaikwad (27) has featured in six ODIs and 23 T20Is, scoring 115 and 633 runs respectively. The right-hander has registered one fifty-plus score in one-dayers. In T20Is, he has notched up one hundred and four fifties.