The BCCI recently revealed the squads for the Test and ODI series as India prepares to embark on a tour of the West Indies next month. Rohit Sharma has been appointed captain of the team for both formats, with Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya serving as his deputies in Tests and ODIs, respectively. A notable development emerged as Cheteshwar Pujara, was excluded from the squad due to his disappointing performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Kamran Akmal, a former wicketkeeper-batsman from Pakistan, shared his insights on the forthcoming tour while evaluating India's squad.
Kamran calls for Rohit to assert authority
According to Akmal, Rohit Sharma has demonstrated commendable performance during his brief tenure as India's Test captain thus far. However, Akmal believes that Sharma should display more assertiveness on the field, akin to his predecessor Virat Kohli.
"It's a balanced team. 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," Akmal said on his YouTube channel.
Sarfaraz needs communication from BCCI
While Akmal expressed his admiration for the selectors, he raised doubts regarding the decision to leave out Sarfaraz Khan and Umran Malik.
"There is always a debate regarding one or two players. One player who comes to 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 signal that we are not ignoring you and that there's always a chance of you coming in in the future. This 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 the West Indies and with the Dukes ball, there will reverse swing," he added.
