New Delhi: The BCCI released the teams for the Test and ODI series earlier this week in preparation for India's tour of the West Indies next month. In all formats, Rohit Sharma will serve as the team's captain, with Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya as Vice-captain for him in Tests and ODIs, respectively. Another significant change was the exclusion of senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara from the squad as a result of his disappointing performancein the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal offered his thoughts on the impending tour while examining India's lineup.
Although Rohit Sharma has performed admirably throughout his brief time leading India in Test matches, according to Akmal, he needs to display a little more dominance on the pitch, much like his predecessor Virat Kohli.
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"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.
Despite praising the selectors, Akmal questioned the exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan and Umran Malik.
"There is always a debate regarding one or two players. One player which 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," he added.
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