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Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar recently stated that Team India skipper Rohit Sharma tends to panic during crunch situations on most occasions.
Akhtar reckoned that while Sharma is an incredibly talented batter, there is still some scope for improvement in his captaincy. Akhtar, however, suggested that with a formidable unit and the advantage of playing at home, the Men in Blue have a significant chance of winning the 2023 World Cup.
Shoaib Akhtar made these remarks in a video shared by Revsportz on YouTube. He said (0:26):
"Rohit Sharma is a great guy. However, he does panic at times during captaincy. I may sound a bit harsh here, but I don't think he should have taken up India's captaincy. He is even more talented than Virat Kohli. He is a classical batter. But was he made for captaincy? Does he react well in critical situations? These are the questions that keep coming to my mind."
"You should also be questioning it. But there's no doubt that he has the ability to win this World Cup. He has a home advantage and a good team," he added.
It is worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma has an impressive captaincy record in international cricket. He has 24 wins to his name from 34 ODIs as skipper. In T20Is, he has led the Men in Blue to 39 wins from 51 matches, while India have won five Test matches out of nine under his leadership.
"Virat Kohli used to be overly aggressive, while Rohit Sharma panics a lot" - Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar further stated that India haven't found an ideal captain since MS Dhoni's departure. He noted that former captain Virat Kohli did get a bit over-aggressive during his time at the helm of the national team.
Suggested that the constant media scrutiny puts immense pressure on an Indian captain, Akhtar added (1:33):
"Virat Kohli used to be overly aggressive, while Rohit Sharma panics a lot. I would blame the Indian media for this. An environment is built in which India just cannot afford to lose at any cost. Why can't they lose?"
India will open their 2023 World Cup campaign with a clash against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.
