When legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar announced his international retirement, he handed over the responsibilities to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, naming them as the future of Indian cricket. Over the next decade, the duo lived up to those expectations, breaking records, winning matches across formats, and becoming stars of modern cricket. Now, in 2025, the time has come for them to pass on the duties to the upcoming generation.

Rohit’s recent retirement from Test cricket, following his earlier exit from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup, has become the beginning of the change. Kohli, too, is reportedly set to retire from red-ball cricket soon, having already exited from the shortest format last year.

Together, they formed the backbone of Indian cricket and took the team to numerous heights. Notably, the Mumbai Cricket Association had announced a month ago about naming a stand at the Wankhede Stadium after the Nagpur-born. For Kohli, the Delhi and District Cricket Association had named a pavilion after the star batter at the Arun Jaitley stadium in 2019.

Here are three Players who can build a legacy like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli:

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal

The young Yashasvi Jaiswal’s progress in international cricket has been commendable. In just a short career, the 22-year-old has become a regular member across all three formats. In Tests, Jaiswal has already scored 1798 runs in 19 matches at an average of 52.88, including four centuries, two of them double tons, and 10 fifties. His breakout moment came in the iconic 2024 England series, where he ran through the experienced bowlers and dominated the home conditions.

Later in the year, he continued his impressive form with a brilliant century on debut in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, making him only the third Indian to score a ton on his maiden Test in Australia. He even surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s debut score in the country. He even displayed his heroics in the shortest format of the game as he was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2024. In IPL, he smashed the fastest fifty in the tournament’s history against Kolkata Knight Riders, in just 13 deliveries.

2. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant, apart from just being a wicketkeeper-batter anymore, has gone out to become India’s crisis man, match-winner, and the next cricketing legend. Despite being around for only eight years in the national setup, Pant has already delivered some unforgettable performances, especially in the Test format. His unbeaten 89 at the Gabba that sealed a historic series win in Australia in 2021 remains one of Indian cricket’s most iconic moments. The southpaw’s Test career has seen him play numerous such knocsk, playing audacious and stunning shots even in the trickiest of situations. With 2948 runs in 43 Tests at an average of 42.11, including six centuries and 15 fifties, Pant has already made significant contributions in his short career.

Moreover, he was an important member of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025-winning squads. In white-ball cricket, the 27-year-old has already scored 2080 runs in 107 matches. Recently, in the IPL 2025 mega auction, he became the highest-paid player in the cash-rich league after being acquired by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crore. Many fans and experts alike have rooted for Pant to take up India’s captaincy in the years to come.

1. Shubman Gill

The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is progressing to be India’s next cricket legend after the Rohit-Kohli era. From his debut at the iconic MCG in 2020 to his fighting 91 at the Gabba that helped India seal a historic win, Gill has come out and become a dependable cricketer. He has over 1800 Test runs, while he is also the fastest batter to reach 2000 ODI runs.

Now, with Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket and Jasprit Bumrah’s workload making him a less viable long-term leader, Gill is also the top contender to take over India’s red-ball captaincy, starting with the five-Test England series. The BCCI sees in him a long-term leader who could lead from the front. Gill’s captaincy stint with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL and his leadership during the Zimbabwe tour show his capabilities. As the highest run-scorer in international cricket in 2023, and recently holding the No.1 ODI batter ranking, the Punjab-born is not just India’s future but also its present.