Shoaib Akhtar says that it would be foolish to strip Virat Kohli from captaincy, gives his reason

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels that it will be foolish to remove Virat Kohli from captaincy at this juncture, especially after Indian cricket establishment has invested on him massively.

"I think Virat Kohli shouldn't be removed as the captain because a lot has been invested on him. He has been the captain for the last 3-4 years. What he needs is a better coach, better selection committee and he can be made better," Akhtar was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel. 

After India's disappointing exit in the semi-final of the World Cup, there were suggestions that split captaincy is the need of the hour, wherein Kohli should continue to lead in Test cricket and Rohit Sharma be appointed as the leader in limited-overs formats.

But Shoaib Akhtar begs to differ

"I have no doubts that Rohit is a good captain and he has done a good job in IPL but I think an investment has been made and that investment can be made better with a slight tweak. Virat Kohli is a sensible choice to carry on. I think it will be foolish to remove Kohli from captaincy," the former speedster said.  

"There is a talk going on in India that the team is divided into groups because of the reported rift between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I guess Rohit wants to become the captain and Virat is coming in his way but I don't think these rumours are true." 

Captain Virat Kohli rubbishes the rift with his deputy Rohit Sharma 

Indian skipper Virat Kohli rubbished the rumors of an alleged rift with vice-captain Rohit Sharma during the team's pre-departure address. For weeks, there were rumors doing rounds that there was a widening gulf between the captain and his deputy, reportedly over issues with the way the team was handled. 

Responding to a reporter's query, Kohli said, "It wouldn't be possible for the team to play consistently like we have if there was something as such. The team has moved from number seven in the ICC rankings to the number one team and has remained consistent in its position and performance. Such a rift will not have allowed the team to progress positively."