Shoaib Akhtar's brutal verdict on Rohit Sharma's captaincy in Asia Cup: 'He's stuck. He doesn’t seem to be enjoying it'

Expressing his concerns about Rohit Sharma's dip in form amid the Asia Cup 2022, legendary Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has come up with a huge claim ahead of the Indo-Pak clash. Rohit-led Team India will meet Pakistan for the second time in the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday.

Legendary Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has expressed his concerns about Rohit Sharma's dip in form ahead of the high-octane clash between India and Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2022. After registering a morale-boosting win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2022 opener, Rohit-led Team India entered the Super 4 stage of the tournament by defeating Hong Kong in their previous fixture. On Sunday, Rohit-led Team India will reignite their iconic rivalry with Pakistan for the second time in the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Legendary Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has come up with a huge claim about Rohit Sharma  (AP/ Shoaib Akhtar-YouTube)

One of the greatest fast bowlers in world cricket, Pakistan's Akhtar never shies away from speaking his mind. Former Pakistani cricketer Akhtar has now come up with a bold statement about Indian skipper Rohit ahead of the blockbuster meeting between the Asian giants in the Super 4 stage. Veteran opener Rohit has struggled for form in the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup. The explosive batter had ended up playing a patient knock when India last met Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022.

Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of the mouth-watering contest between the two arch-rivals, Akhtar claimed that Rohit is 'stuck' as India's captain. Akhtar has also opined that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is a 'powerful contender' to lead India in the shortest format. "I think Rohit Sharma is stuck as a captain. He doesn’t seem to be enjoying it, and he is taking a lot of pressure, so he is out of form. Hardik Pandya is a significant factor after he recovered from a back injury. He guided his team [Gujarat Titans] to IPL 2022 trophy as captain, and he is a powerful contender to be captain for T20I,” Akhtar said.

Rohit scored 12 off 18 balls in India's tournament opener against Babar-led Pakistan. The Indian skipper failed to convert his start in the second match against Hong Kong. The veteran opener smashed 21 off 13 balls in India's 40-run win over Hong Kong. The second-highest run-getter in the history of T20I cricket, Rohit has amassed 3,520 runs from 134 matches for the 2007 world champions.