‘Big shoes to fill for the players coming in’ – Brett Lee reacts to T20I retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja

Team India and Brett Lee (Source : Twitter)

Brett Lee heaped praise on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja after they announced their retirements from T20I cricket last month.

The announcements came shortly after India became the third team to win two T20 World Cup titles. Rohit finished as India’s highest run-getter during the T20 World Cup 2024, while Kohli was awarded Player of the Match in the finals. While Jadeja didn’t do justice to his potential during the marquee event, his contributions for the national team in the shortest format of the game have been incredible.

As Team India embark on a transition phase, with several young players getting their opportunities to excel on the international stage, Lee reminded everyone to acknowledge the efforts of the legendary trio, who bid farewell to T20Is on a high.

“Look, I think they have to appreciate, acknowledge, celebrate those three cricketers because they’re all amazing you know, players in their own right and coaching staff and going from a former player to a coach. Rahul Dravid and obviously the Hitman [Rohit Sharma], and Kohli, Jadeja, they have got amazing you know, players out there that have done the business for so many years,” Lee said in an exclusive interview with CricTracker.

The former Australian pacer noted that it isn’t going to be easy for the next generation of players as they have huge shoes to fill and match the lofty standards set by the iconic troika during their illustrious careers.

“But now, it’s up to the next generation now. The thing with sport, you can’t play forever. You shouldn’t play forever and you shouldn’t want to hold back players either. So, when you’ve had your time in the sun, enjoy it, celebrate it, what a great way to go out with a victory, and now it’s over to the young generation,” Lee stated.

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“They have kept Indian Cricket standards so high that it’s going to be easier for the players to come in but also I think somewhat harder as well because of those big shoes to fill, and they’ve got to step up to the plate and maintain that effort and that commitment that those other players have had,” the Australian pace legend further continued.

Brett Lee captaining Australia Champions in World Championship of Legends

Speaking of Brett Lee’s latest cricketing exploits, the legendary pacer is currently playing in the World Championship of Legends 2024. Notably, the Australian legend is leading Australia Champions in the six-team tournament and has already taken seven wickets from three matches at an average of 10.43.