Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels Rohit Sharma shouldn’t have taken up Team India’s captaincy as he feels the Indian batter panics under pressure. He expressed that Rohit Sharma is a more talented cricketer than Virat Kohli, but captaincy doesn’t suit him. Rohit Sharma took over the leadership baton from Virat Kohli and is currently leading the national side in Test and ODI formats.
Ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, Shoaib Akhtar raised questions about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. He shared that the Indian skipper panics under pressure rather than staying calm. However, he also expressed that Rohit Sharma has a chance to win the upcoming World Cup at home. Speaking to Revsportz, the former Pakistan pacer said,
“Rohit is a great guy. But I don’t think he should have taken the captaincy. He panics a bit under pressure. He is perhaps more talented than even Virat Kohli and has all the shots. But does captaincy suit him? I question myself most of the time. But he will have the home crowd behind him and has the ability to win the World Cup.”
Media puts too much pressure on the Indian players: Shoaib Akhtar
Former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar further acknowledged the pressure that media builds around the Indian team ahead of mega-events like World Cups. He expressed that the pressure over the team has been the main reason why India hasn’t won an ICC Trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy. He said,
“I feel after 2013, captaincy has become a bit crippled. Virat sometimes used to be over-aggressive. Rohit used to panic a bit too much. The media puts too much pressure on the players. They show as if India just cannot lose the match. Why can’t they? They also slam them when they lose. Don’t do this.”
The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is all set to take place in India from October 5, with the final on November 19, 2024. Team India will kick off their campaign in the tournament against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
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