New Delhi: While India and Pakistan prepare for the showdown in Cricket World Cup later this year, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has ‘rated’ two leading Indian batters Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma in a candid assessment.
Shoaib Akhtar though spoke on a range of issues, his perception/assessment of Indian skippers over the years caught the attention of cricket fans.
Akhtar heaped praise on MS Dhoni’s captaincy skills and said that he was the one man, behind whom whole team could have taken refuge. But, that wasn’t the case after he passed on the baton to fellow cricketers, first Virat Kohli & then Rohit Sharma. He sees Dhoni as a flawless captain, who made a big difference on the field with his presence and cool & calm composure. But, that wasn’t the case with Rohit & Kohli as the former gets ‘panicky’ and latter ‘over-aggressive’ during critical moments, he said.
In a long conversation on ‘Backstage With Boria’ show, Akhtar explained the reasons behind Men in Blue not fetching any ICC trophy in last 10 years.
“There was once a guy who would take the entire team’s pressure upon himself – that was Dhoni,” Akhtar said.
Comparing the likes of Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli, he lauded both of them as world-class cricketers but said that Team India’s captaincy couldn’t live upto mark after 2013 as both of them floundered as skippers.
“I feel since 2013, India’s captaincy has crippled [under pressure], even under Kohli. Kohli used to get over-aggressive, Rohit panics”, he added.
He also said that years between 2007-2013 were India’s golden period in terms of ICC trophies, as the Men in Blue picked 3 different trophies in that period.
Rohit better batsman than Kohli
Shoaib Akhtar praised Rohit for displaying spectacular batting skills but said that he should have thought twice before taking up captaincy.
“Rohit is a great guy, but he cripples during captaincy, he panics. These might be harsh words, but I don’t think he should have taken up the captaincy”, he said.
The Rawalpindi Express went on to describe Rohit Sharma as better batsman than Virat Kohli. He said that Rohit plays amazing shots but his decision-making sometimes puts him on backfoot.
“Even Virat Kohli isn’t as talented as him. The timing he has and the shots he can play…he is a classical batter – but was he made for captaincy? I question myself most of the time. Does he react well in most of critical situations? I question myself. He should also be questioning it”, Akhtar said.
Akhtar however backed Rohit for a record show in the upcoming 2023 World Cup tournament and hoped that he will prove his critics wrong.
