Pakistani fast bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar has opined that Rohit Sharma should captain the Indian Test team in Virat Kohli’s absence as the regular captain will return to India for the birth of his first child, after playing the first Test match.
Ajinkya Rahane is the vice-captain of the Indian Test team and has done the job when Kohli has missed matches. However, Akhtar says Rohit Sharma leading the Indian Test team against Australia in Virat Kohli's absence is a no-brainer.
He also felt that the-much awaited series will be his "best chance" to stake a claim for captaincy in one of the limited-overs formats.
There have been calls for making Rohit Sharma captain of the limited-overs side, especially in T20Is, given that he recently led Mumbai Indians to their fifth IPL title in UAE which hosted the IPL 2020. Apart from that, Rohit has led India to multiple T20I series wins including the Nidahas Tri-series in Sri Lanka and also the 50-over Asia Cup in UAE that same year.
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Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is yet to win a major trophy in T20Is or ODIs despite taking the team to the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, both in England.
"My take on it is pretty simple. From what I know Virat is very keen to take the team forward. It all depends on how fatigued he is feeling. He has been playing non-stop since 2010, has got 70 centuries and a mountain of runs under his belt," Akhtar told PTI.
"If he is feeling fatigued, then he should think about giving the leadership role to Rohit in one of the formats (preferably T20s). I could see the boredom on his face during the IPL, maybe it was because of the bio-bubble situation, he seemed a bit stressed out. It all depends on how he feels. Rohit has been ready for captaincy for a while," he added.
The four-match Test series will be Rohit’s first as an opener overseas and a tough call against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
"Rohit is one of the greatest batsmen India has produced. Now he also understands the real value of his talent. Australia will be his best chance to prove himself as captain. He should grab it with both hands. He has the talent and ability to lead the team. It will be a tough test for India and I would look for these kinds of situations as a player,” Shoaib opined.
"The whole world would be looking at Rohit as captain and batsman. If he does well for himself and the team, then there should be a debate about split captaincy."
Talking about the much-awaited Test series, especially with Kohli missing three Tests and Australia featuring both Warner and Smith, Akhtar said that India can win the series again.
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"In my opinion, India has the ability to win again. But if their middle order doesn't perform, I see them struggling. People will be watching this series with great interest including myself. The day-night Test will be their toughest test. If India plays well in those conditions, then you never know. The first two innings of the first Test will tell us where the series is headed,” Akhtar said while backing India to do well.
He also felt KL Rahul will replace Kohli at the no.4 spot once the captain returns back home.
"It takes two-three innings to control that forward trigger movement in foreign conditions. You can't drive on the up and have to play close to the body. It will be interesting to see how the pitches will be. The Aussies will come hard at India that is for sure and won't be giving easy balls to drive," said the 45-year-old, who played 46 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan.
Akhtar also advised Australia to prepare bouncy and fast wickets to help their pace attack and said that Indians will need to imbibe Kohli’s aggression on the field to win the series.
(PTI inputs)
