Shoaib Akhtar enters Team India captaincy debate, suggests Aus tour best chance for Rohit

Entering Team India's split-captaincy debate, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has suggested that the Australia tour might be the best chance for Rohit Sharma to grab the captaincy. The Pakistani speedster reasoned that the current India skipper, Virat Kohli, might be 'fatigued' as he has been playing continuously since 2010 and suggested that the Bangalore skipper also seemed 'bored' during the IPL 2020. Akhtar stated that the world would be looking at Rohit Sharma as captain and batsman when he faces Australia in December. 

"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. If he is feeling fatigued, then he should think about giving the leadership role to Rohit in one of the formats (preferably T20s)," PTI quoted Shoaib Akhtar. 

"I could see the boredom on his (Virat Kohli 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," Akhtar added. 

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The former Pakistani cricketer also heaped praise on Rohit Sharma and added that the swashbuckling opener has the ability and talent to lead the team. While Rohit Sharma has been rested for the limited-overs series against Australia owing to an injury, he has been named in the Test squad as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who is set to return to India after the first Test for the birth of his first child. However, the BCCI has not yet clarified on who will be leading the side in Tests in the absence of Kohli. 

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Akhtar on India's chances vs Aus

Backing India to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy despite the return of David Warner and Steve Smith, Akhtar said, "In my opinion, India have 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 play well in those conditions, then you never know. The first two innings of the first Test will tell us where the series is headed." 

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The split-captaincy debate was ignited recently after Rohit Sharma lifted the IPL 2020 trophy for the fifth time. As the Mumbai opener went on to become the most successful IPL captain, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir remarked that it will be the Indian team's loss if Sharma is not appointed as the captain in white-ball cricket.

Echoing similar views, former England skipper Nasser Hussain too rooted for Rohit Sharma to take over the captaincy in limited-overs cricket. Hussain suggested that it might be the time for Virat Kohli to step down as the captain in limited-overs cricket and hand over the leadership role to his deputy - Rohit Sharma. Hussain backed his choice with Rohit Sharma's success as an IPL captain and also reasoned that his 'captaincy, calm, cool and right decisions' make him the perfect contender. 

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Rohit Sharma's record as India captain

Sharma has also led the Men in Blue in limited-overs cricket whenever Virat Kohli has been absent. India has won 8 of the 10 ODIs under his leadership including a win in the Asia Cup in Dubai in 2018. In T20s, Rohit has a far better record as captain having won 15 of the 19 matches in which he has led. These include victories in the Nihadas tri-series in Sri Lanka in 2018 and a 3-0 series sweep against West Indies at home in 2018.