“There was once a guy who would take the entire team’s pressure upon himself – that was Dhoni. 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,” Shoaib Akhtar said during a conversation on ‘Backstage With Boria’.

“Even Virat Kohli isn’t as talented as him. 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 critical situations? I question myself. He should also be questioning it,” the former pacer added.

India vs Pakistan clash

Shoaib Akhtar even talked about high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash and said the pressure is on India as Pakistan has nothing to lose. “It is not for the faint-hearted. If you are brave enough, it is your platform. If you are a coward or if you are insecure this match is not for you, ” he said.

“From day one I have been saying that Pakistan should travel to India and play wherever asked. There was never a question of not traveling to India. Let’s face the truth. India generates the maximum money for world cricket and ICC actually uses the money, which comes from India. It is that money, which is then given to us in Pakistan, which helps fund our domestic cricket. So in a way, it is Indian money that is helping our cricket. So there is no reason why we shouldn’t travel to India and play in front of packed Indian crowds”, said Akhtar.

(With inputs from agencies)

Updated: 19 Aug 2023, 01:04 PM IST