India look at young guns to take their legacy forward after WC heartbreak

An expressionless Virat Kohli gave a quick handshake and hug to an equally expressionless Shubman Gill before going to collect his runnersup medal It was the most poignant moment of a teary Sunday night for the Indian cricket teamIt perhaps was the most visible sign of the imminent generational shift in Indian cricket after the hosts failed to grasp a third World CupAlso ReadICC World Cup 2023 Aussies clinch their sixth titleOf course veterans such as Kohli Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami might be around for some more time but now it is up to a younger crop to take the team forward and build a new legacy unscarred from the past failuresGill 24 Shreyas Iyer 28 Ishan Kishan 25 Ruturaj Gaikwad 26 and Yashasvi Jaiswal 21 will soon hopefully be joined by a recovering Rishabh Pant 26 as India will hit the road to the T20 World Cup 2024 and beyondAlso Read IND vs AUS ICC World Cup 2023 final Men in Blue sets 241 runsThese players already have considerable experience at top level cricket and have showcased their talent more than once but living up to the heritage of titans like Kohli and Rohit is not a simple taskThese players have built some tall edifices over the last decade and half symbolising their skill durability and mental fortitude in the highpressure world of modernday sportsThat they had to cope with the extra burden of captaincy on their shoulders makes their achievements all the more glittering An empathetic leader with conviction is the driving force behind a team in any sportSo in whom India should make investment as the future leaderFormer India batsman Robin Uthappa thought Shreyas could be the one who fits into that roleShreyas Iyer has demonstrated significant dedication and confidence He appears quite impressive particularly at the No 4 positionIf he keeps up this level of performance it wouldnt be astonishing to see him lead the Indian team especially in whiteball cricket said Uthappa in his YouTube channelHowever that is just one part of the journey into the future With the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies fast approaching the temptation would be high for tunnel thinking with just that tournament in mindBut that could be the biggest mistake the powers that be can commitApart from next years T20 World Cup the current international cycle 20232027 will see India competing in three major global whiteball events the Champions Trophy 2025 cohosting the 2026 T20 big bash with Sri Lanka and then in the 50over World Cup in 2027So India will require careful team building around the players who can sustain themselves under pressure and last the raceThats right India might not have the services of their big players for a long time now The authorities will have to plan well in advance for the next three or four years give consistent chances to young players like Jaiswal and Gaikwad so that they are mentally ready when a big tournament comes around a former India selector told PTIIt is important to keep the communication clear with all the players tell them in advance that we are going to stick with you for this much period of time and we will give you this many chances no matter what your performances areIt is important to keep a player in the loop because uncertainty can affect a cricketers mind and thereby his performance But again it all depends on how hungry they are for success he addedThat theory is applicable when it comes to finding the successors of lead spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who are not at the flush of their youth at 37 and 34 respectivelyKuldeep Yadavs strong reemergence could offer a smidgeon of comfort to the thinktank but they will have to discover a strong partner for the leftarm wrist spinnerApart from Axar Patel India really have not given a considerable run to any other spinner in recent years and they might also want to look at the likes of legspinner Ravi Bishnoi and leftarm spinner Saurabh Kumar soon to develop the support lineYes there is a bit of an issue As I said they need a consistent run you know that chance to succeed or fail Hope they will get it he notedEvolution is the most complex passage in sport and we could be in for an enthralling time as Indian cricket is ready to embrace itThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever