ODI World Cup 2023: The Indian cricket team is gearing up for yet another shot at ending their long-standing wait of a decade for another ICC trophy. It has to be noted that the last time that the Indian cricket team won their ICC trophy was in the Champions Trophy in the year 2013 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Ever since then, the Indian side has been struggling to get their hands on the prestigious ICC trophy.
Under Kohli’s captaincy, Team India made it to the 2019 ODI World Cup, suffered a humiliating group-stage exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and lost in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy against Pakistan. After Virat Kohli stepped down from the position, Rohit Sharma took over the reins across formats in early 2022 and has since registered a winning percentage of 74.04 in ODIs, with 20 victories in 27 matches. However, team India suffered a semi-final exit in the 2022 World T20.
With the ODI World Cup 2023 just around the corner, all eyes will be on the Indian captain Rohit Sharma and batting superstar Virat Kohli.
Shoaib Akhtar Made A Bold Captaincy Verdict Ahead Of World Cup 2023
Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar made a critical assessment of the two periods – Dhoni’s era and after he stepped down. Comparing the two eras — Shoaib Akhtar composed MS Dhoni made the difference for team India as opposed to a “panicky” Rohit Sharma and “over-aggressive” Virat Kohli.
In an interview on Backstage With Boria, Akhtar explained that Indian captains lack composure the way MS Dhoni had and that is one of the reasons that the Men in Blue have failed to lift another ICC trophy in the last 10 years.
“There was once a guy who would take the entire team’s pressure upon himself – that was Dhoni,” Akhtar said. “Only a captain can shield the entire team behind him. 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.”
Further, Akhtar also admitted that while Rohit is a better batsman than Kohli, he isn’t sure about his decisions at critical points in the match. He said:
“Even Virat Kohli isn’t as talented as him,” Akhtar continued. “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”.
Despite the criticism, Akhtar went on to back Rohit Sharma to prove him wrong at the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 at home, which could be his final white-ball captaincy assignment. He said:
“No doubt he [Rohit] has the ability to win this World Cup,” the 48-year-old said, “because he has the home crowd behind him, he has the team and his talent behind him. Prove me wrong, prove everybody wrong – I am sure he has the ability to do that. But, I feel since 2013, India’s captaincy has crippled [under pressure], even under Kohli. Kohli used to get over-aggressive, Rohit panics”.
