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Pakistan’s veteran fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, has issued a surprising take on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup and Cricket World Cup. In an interview, the fast bowler criticized Rohit Sharma’s decision to lead India after Virat Kohli was sacked from the captaincy.
Akhtar appreciated Rohit Sharma’s batting skills and even ranked him as more talented than Virat Kohli, but was quick to criticize his captaincy soon after. But he further added that Rohit has the squad to win the World Cup.
In an interview with RevSportz, Akhtar said that Rohit is a more talented batsman than Virat Kohli and that he plays classical shots that are mind-blowing. But he went further and slammed Rohit’s captaincy. He said, “When I see Rohit, I keep asking myself if he should have accepted captaincy in the first place? I think Rohit feels the panic on occasions, and lets the pressure get to him. The pressure of captaincy cripples you, and it happened with Virat Kohli also. That’s why you don’t win a major tournament.”
“Make no mistake, Rohit does have the team to win the World Cup,” he added further.
Rohit Sharma was handed the reigns of the ODI team in December 2021, after Virat Kohli gave up his captaincy in T20Is after the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. Rohit led the team to the semi-final of the following World Cup, where India unfortunately lost against England.
India will lock horns against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 14 in the World Cup, in front of a full house at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be India’s second match of the World Cup, after they take on Australia in the opener on October 8 in Chennai.
