India's T20 World Cup clash against Namibia marks the end of a memorable era under Virat Kohli 

As India step out to play against Namibia in what will be their last appearance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021, it will surely mark the end of an era. Virat Kohli will be captaining India for the last time in T20I cricket, and there is a lot of emotion surrounding the occasion.

The next time India plays on November 17th against New Zealand, it is expected that Rohit Sharma will go out for the toss for the first time in his career as India’s permanent white-ball captain. While Rohit has led the side in the past, this time it will be different. It will be his team going forward and he has to fulfill the unfinished quest - to win an ICC Trophy.

With an excellent captaincy record behind him and a team that is full of potential, Rohit is expected to deliver results at the earliest. He is now one of the senior most players alongside Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, and he is much respected and loved by his teammates. While Rohit isn’t getting any younger, suffice to say this is a 3-year vision plan for Indian cricket under him and Rahul Dravid.

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Focus on how Rohit brings the best out of Kohli, Ashwin

India will face off against New Zealand in their first T20I assignment after the T20 World Cup

One of his biggest challenges will be how best to use Virat the batter. Make no mistake, Kohli is still the best in the world and is expected to remain so in the next 2-3 years. Should Rohit get Virat to open the innings or where does he bat the soon-to-be former captain? It is essential that Rohit gets the best out of Virat, for that could well decide how India goes about its business as a team in the next 12 months.

Knowing Virat, he will be itching to perform. He will want to make a statement with the bat and continue to entertain. This partnership, which will now be tweaked the other way, is critical for the wellbeing of Indian cricket going ahead.

The other important thing for Rohit is how to use bowlers like Ashwin. He has been quite superb in this T20 World Cup 2021 and many believe he could have made a difference against New Zealand. Rohit is known to back Ashwin, and how he deals with his senior players could well define the start of the Rohit era.

For the moment though, it is all about tonight. And while Virat hasn’t won an ICC Trophy, the team has had some great moments under him. Despite it being a very disappointing World Cup, it is time to move on and celebrate him for all the memories as T20I skipper.