Vikram Rathour, who held the position of India Men’s batting coach until recently, has laid out his vision for the future of Indian cricket, earmarking Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal as pivotal figures in the nation’s batting lineup. As stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli step away from T20 Internationals, the spotlight now falls on these young talents to guide India into a new era. Gill and Jaiswal have already showcased their potential by playing crucial innings in the recently concluded series against Zimbabwe.
India managed to secure a 4-1 series win despite fielding a largely second-string side, with only a few players retaining their spots from the recent T20 World Cup squad. With the retirement of key players like Rohit, Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja on the horizon, Rathour advocates for a meticulously managed transition. He underlined the importance of a gradual and controlled transition process.
“It is never going to be easy to replace people of Rohit and Virat’s calibre,” Rathour told PTI. “The recently-concluded [T20I] series against Zimbabwe gave us some glimpse into how the T20 team will look like in future. But we still have a few years in Test and ODI cricket to get to that point.
“I won’t be too concerned about it [the transition]. We have a lot of depth in Indian cricket. There are lots of very talented and skilful players who are coming through the system. The only thing we need to make sure is the transition is done in a controlled manner. It needs to be gradual.
“I am hoping that by then, players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, to name a few, would establish themselves and will make the transition smooth. In ODIs also, we have experienced players like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya to take over.
“There are many exciting players coming through but these two [Gill and Jaiswal] are equipped to play all three formats for a long time. They are going to be the backbone of Indian batting in years to come.”
Rathour also shone the spotlight on Rinku Singh, who despite his exceptional performance, missed out on the opportunity to be part of the Indian team for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Singh has proven his mettle at the international level, and Rathour believes in his capabilities across formats.
Having made his debut in August last year, Rinku has averaged an impressive 83.
.2 in 23 T20Is, striking at a rate of 176.27, playing the role of a crucial finisher. His rise to international prominence was bolstered by stellar performances in the 2023 IPL season. Further emphasizing his all-format potential, Rathour highlighted Rinku’s first-class and List A records.
In 47 first-class games, the 26-year-old Rinku has an average of 54.7. His prowess in List A cricket is equally notable, with an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 94.80.
“When I see him bat in nets, I can’t find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter,” Rathour said about Rinku. “I understand he has made his name as a terrific finisher in T20 cricket but if you look at his first-class record, he is averaging in high 50s.
“He is also blessed with a very calm temperament. So all these factors indicate that if given an opportunity, he can develop into a Test cricketer.”
Rathour did not miss out on crediting Rahul Dravid, praising him as the best coach he has worked under, and for his role in transforming India’s approach in T20 cricket. “Rahul is the best coach that I have worked with, who gives you lots of space to work, is open to suggestions and will provide you an honest feedback,” he said. “One of the first discussions we had was about changing the batting template in T20 cricket. We agreed that we needed to bring in more intent and aggression in our batting approach.”
As an example, he cited the strategy of including both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI, a move that added depth to the Indian batting lineup. “That made a massive difference and gave the batters in top order lot more freedom to bat.”
In summary, Rathour has immense faith in the upcoming generation of Indian cricket, particularly in Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, to take up the mantle as future batting mainstays. With a strong pipeline of talent ready to step up and the guidance of seasoned players and coaches, he envisions a smooth transition for Indian cricket in the years to come.