'I want him to do better with captaincy'- Former PAK batter bashes Rohit Sharma for his poor show with Team India

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The Indian Cricket Board released the Test and ODI teams for India's upcoming visit to the West Indies earlier this week. Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has sent a short message to Indian team captain Rohit Sharma, urging that he should have the same presence on the field as Virat Kohli.

Rohit Sharma will lead the team in One-Day and Test formats, with Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya serving as his deputy in Tests and ODIs, respectively. Another significant change was the departure of experienced batter Cheteshwar Pujara from the team following his dismal performance with the bat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

'Show your presence on the ground like Virat Kohli': Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal said on his Youtube channel, "It's a balanced team. The Indian team needs to have a good start. I want Rohit Sharma to do better with captaincy. Show your presence on the ground like Virat Kohli used to do. He has got a chance. (Having said that), Rohit Sharma has done a decent job so far after what went down with the Kohli saga."

Despite praising the selectors, Akmal questioned the exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan and Umran Malik. He further added, "There is always a debate regarding one or two players. One player who comes to my mind after seeing the records is Sarfaraz Khan."

"Playing him wasn't possible, but he should've travelled with the team. You could've given him a single that we are not ignoring you, and there's always a chance of you coming in in the future. There was the perfect tour to put him in the squad. Also, Umran Malik, with the pace he has got, could've been lethal. The pitch is dry in West Indies, and with the Dukes ball, there will be reverse swing."

India’s Test squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

India’s ODI squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.