'As long as he's in the team he's a leader': IND's WC-winning all-rounder wants Kohli to help Rohit 'do the right thing'

The legendary cricketer also hailed Kohli as India's best Test captain and hailed him for instilling the importance of fitness in the Indian team.

India's World Cup-winning all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that even though Virat Kohli is no longer the captain of the Indian team, in any format, he still has a lot to contribute to the team, one of them being the guiding new captain Rohit Sharma in doing the "right thing".

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (AP)

“He is not the captain, but as long as he is in the team, he is a leader,” the former India all-rounder told The Hindu. “He will help the new captain to do the right thing.”

Kohli had stepped down from T20I captain after the 2021 T20 World Cup in October last year and a month later was removed from ODI captaincy. BCCI Later named Rohit as the new white-ball skipper. Rohit's first assignment as a full-time T20I captain was the New Zealand series at home where India won 3-0 and his first assignment as a full-time ODI captain will be the ODI contest at home against West Indies which begins from February 6 onwards.

Pathan, who is presently in Muscat for the recently-concluded Legends League Cricket, picked Kohli as India's best Test captain and hailed him for instilling the importance of fitness in the Indian team.

“He sent out the right messages and he took the team’s fitness to another level,” he said. “Going forward, I am sure he will help out others, especially Rohit Sharma. Every captain contributes in unique fashion. Kohli had his energy, Rohit will give you calmness," he added.

In the ODI contest in South Africa last month, Kohli had scored two fifties in what was his first international series in seven years where he did not feature as the Indian captain.

The 33-year-old had earlier stepped away from Test captaincy as well a day after the 2-1 Test series defeat against the Proteas last month