“It’s time for the next generation to take the game of T20 forward.”
When Virat Kohli said these words after India lifted the ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup, it sounded like the closing line of an epic movie. The hero reached the top, the crowd was on their feet and the screen slowly faded to black.
Except that Indian cricket rarely stays still for long.
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Along with Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma and the ever-reliable Ravindra Jadeja have also retired from T20 internationals. It was like the end of a golden chapter for a generation of fans. Rohit’s fearless powerplay, Kohli’s calculated chases and Jadeja’s three-dimensional magic have defined India’s T20 identity for years.
Naturally, the question came before the celebrations had even settled down. Who is filling the gap now?
Two years later, the answer came with fireworks.
India didn’t just defend their ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup crown. They did it with a team that seemed like a natural continuation of everything the previous era had built. It was not about replacing Rohit, Kohli or Jadeja. Instead, a new generation has quietly taken over these responsibilities and reshaped them into something of their own.
At the center of this story was Sanju Samson, who entered the tournament as another talented batsman and left as the player of the tournament. Around him were names that have long been hovering around India’s T20 plans. Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube each stepped into roles that suddenly seemed bigger than before.
It was less of a reboot and more of a perfect sequel. One where the original heroes are still felt in the story, but the new characters make the movie their own.
If the Rohit-Kohli-Jadeja era was the original blockbuster, this new group has made sure the sequel doesn’t disappoint.
SAMSON THE NEW STANDARD
If one player summed up India’s transition, it was Sanju Samson.
His WC didn’t even start in the playing eleven. Samson spent the first half of the tournament on the bench as India tested combinations. But when the knockout stages came, the management threw him in at the deep end as an opener.
Samson answered like a man who had been waiting for this scenario for years.
First came an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in Kolkata in a must-win Super 8 clash. Then he produced an 89 in the semifinals. When the final arrived, he put up another 89 in peace.
Three big games. Three innings that shaped India’s title. Samson’s role was pivotal in India’s defense of the T20 World Cup title. (PTI photo)
By the end of the tournament, Samson had scored 321 runs in five innings, the most by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup.
Former India captain Anil Kumble described him as a mixture of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and it actually made sense to watch him on fire.
Samson looked like Kohli at times. Calm, alert and fully in control of the chase. At other times, he shifted gears and attacked like Rohit in the power play, caring more about the scoreboard than personal milestones.
When asked by a reporter if he was disappointed at missing out on two possible centuries against the West Indies and England, Samson brushed it aside. 97 and 89 meant nothing if his team didn’t win.
That’s the kind of answer Rohit Sharma has written.
ISHAN KISHAN OWN NO.3
For years, India had a small but persistent question mark in T20 cricket.
Who is our third baseman?
For the 2026 World Cup, Ishan Kishan responded loudly to this.
Kishan finished with 317 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 193. Three half-centuries later, he finished as the fourth highest run-scorer in the entire tournament.
However, his story began a few months earlier.
Kishan forced his way back into the national team after leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title as captain. When India hosted New Zealand soon after, he made sure his comeback grabbed the headlines. Kishan smashed a T20I century in the last match of this series.
The World Cup simply continued in this rhythm. Ishan Kishan has been raising a lot with his T20 World Cup opportunity. (PTI photo)
Alongside Samson and Abhishek Sharma, Kishan has become part of one of the most dangerous top-orders in the tournament. His work was simple. Keep the pace high and never let the shift drift.
Even in the final, he played the role perfectly.
Kishan blasted 54 off just 25 balls as India piled up 255 against New Zealand, turning the game into an uphill climb for the opposition.
And he’s not done yet.
Two great catches followed during New Zealand’s chase. One removed by Rachin Ravindra. Another near the boundary sent Tim Seifert back.
Runs, energy and sharp fielding. Kishan brought everything to the table.
India spent a long time searching for stability at number three. This time the answer arrived with a little fanfare.
AXAR PATEL: 3 DIMENSIONAL POWER
For years, when people talked about players who could impact the game in three departments, the conversation started with Ravindra Jadeja.
At the 2026 World Cup, Axar Patel quietly reminded everyone that he too belongs in that conversation.
Axar collected 11 goals in eight matches and even added three goals in the final. His economy rate remained around 8.20, making him one of India’s most reliable bowlers.
But the numbers only told half the story. India have their Jadeja hole filled and another with the help of Axar Patel in T20Is.
In the semi-final against England, he took two excellent catches which moved towards India. He stepped up with the bat whenever the team needed a quick run.
What was most impressive was how naturally he filled the role that once belonged to Jadeja.
Axar was not trying to become “the next Ravindra Jadeja”. He just did what the game called for at the time.
And it succeeded more often than not.
SHIVAM DUBE: POWER SWITCH
Every good T20 team needs someone who can come in and change the mood of a game in ten balls.
For India in 2026 that player was Shivam Dube.
He pulled out of the 2024 World Cup two years earlier and faced criticism. This time he came back with answers.
Dube scored 235 runs at an average of 39 and hit around 165. He also smashed 17 sixes, many of which came when India needed momentum in a hurry. Shivam Dube has silenced his critics of the 2024 World Cup with power in 2026. (PTI Photo)
What made his tournament special was his flexibility.
He batted in four different positions during the competition. Sometimes he came in early. Sometimes he arrived at death.
The approach never changed. Look at the ball. Hit the ball. Hit hard.
Even with Hardik Pandya in the team, Dube has emerged as India’s next finishing weapon. In the days when Hardik was struggling, there was always someone ready to bring the game back.
And in T20 cricket, such depth is golden.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
The funny thing about India’s triumph in 2026 is that it never felt like a transition.
Samson took the lead at the top. Kishan kept the engine running. Axar dominated the middle overs. Dube landed strikes late in the inning.
Different names. Same duties.
Which is probably what Virat Kohli was thinking that night in 2024.
The next generation has taken the game of T20 forward.
And two years later, they showed that the story of Indian T20 cricket did not end with one great team.
He simply moved on to the next one.
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– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
March 11, 2026 11:29 AM IST
