“The moment Dhoni gave up captaincy,” Shoaib Akhtar feels Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli PANIC in World Cups and can’t soak pressure like MS Dhoni

The Indian team will be entering the prestigious tournament as hosts, meaning they will have extra burdens on their shoulders.

“The moment Dhoni gave up captaincy,” Shoaib Akhtar feels Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli PANIC in World Cups and can’t soak pressure like MS Dhoni

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (Image via Free Press Journal)

The ODI World Cup is inching closer and it’s going to be a thrill ride for the fans and the players. The Indian team will be entering the prestigious tournament as hosts, meaning they will have extra burdens on their shoulders. As it’s already known, Team India hasn’t won an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy.

The Indian team were enjoying a golden period more than a decade ago, for they won the T20 World Cup in 2007, ODI World Cup in 2011, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. A proper team, led by MS Dhoni reached heights during the ICC events.

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Unfortunately, though, the Indian team has not tasted that much success in ICC events after 2013. They are failing to go past the semifinal let alone win the trophy. Several fans and pundits have credited India’s success to Dhoni behind India’s victory because of his certain qualities as a captain. Former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar also shares the same opinion.

Akhtar feels Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma panic during high-profile matches and due to not handling the pressure well, the team faces the consequence. Akhtar also feels doubtful of Rohit’s captaincy.

“The moment Dhoni gave up the captaincy, things went south for India,” Akhtar said during a chat with Backstage With Boria. “I think Rohit feels the panic on occasion and lets the pressure get to him. The pressure of captaincy cripples you, and it happened with Virat Kohli also.”

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Shoaib Akhtar wants Rohit Sharma to prove him wrong

"The moment Dhoni gave up captaincy," Shoaib Akhtar feels Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli PANIC in World Cups and can't soak pressure like MS Dhoni
Rohit Sharma (Image via ESPN)

Though Shoaib Akhtar doubts Rohit Sharma’s captaincy abilities, he wants the Indian captain to prove him wrong and lead the team to World Cup glory. Akhtar opined that Sharma is more talented than Kohli and praised his “mindblowing” shots. The Rawalpindi Express feels the 36-year-old has the team which can win the forthcoming ODI World Cup.

The much-awaited tournament is set to start on October 5 with a match between the last edition’s finalists, New Zealand and England in Ahmedabad. India will start their campaign when they will face Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

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