Rohit Sharma should be spending more time with team, he looked depressed and off during T20 World Cup: Shoaib Akhtar

Rohit Sharma-led team India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2022 campaign concluded following the massive defeat to England in the semi-final at the Adelaide Oval. Throughout the tournament, skipper Rohit Sharma was unable to register big scores to his name, however, he was convincing as a captain of the side with his decisions paying off well in the Super 12 stage. 

However, after the abrupt exit, many former cricketers have begun various speculations over the captaincy and the need of personnel changes in the team. Former Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar is not too impressed with Rohit’s captaincy in the tournament and raised questions if the opener is fit to continue leading the team.

“Was he ready for the captaincy? I still haven't received an answer to this question. We all knew that he wanted to be the skipper. But this is not an easy task to do. You have to live and breathe captaincy and also have to sacrifice family life. That is why Rohit should be spending more time with the team which will help him in building the team as well. He just looked a bit depressed and off,” Akhtar told Zee News.

“With captaincy comes responsibility. If the team performs, you get the credit but when you face criticism, you don't point fingers at anyone. And Rohit Sharma's continuation, I won't be able to see that because he is close to his retirement in the T20 format,” Akhtar added.

The 47-year-old further cited Virat Kohli and his turbulent phase during his reign as a captain and voiced that it is "too much" for Rohit.

“Virat Kohli took so much of time just to realise that captaincy is now gone and that he needs to come of that phase. Yet he took breaks from the game and then somehow, luckily, Pakistan were troubled by Kohli. Now he is in a good space. I think for Rohit Sharma, it has been too much to ask from him,” concluded Akhtar.