'Is Kohli comfortable leading all 3 formats?': Saba Karim says selectors must constantly speak to Virat to ease pressure

'Is he comfortable leading all formats?': Saba Karim on how selectors can ease pressure on Kohli

Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim believes that the discussions surrounding Virat Kohli's captaincy are 'quite unnecessary,' but added that the selectors must constantly speak to the batsman if he is comfortable leading the team across all formats. Questions are being raised on Kohli's Test captaincy after Ajinkya Rahane led India to a thrilling series win in Australia while Kohli was away on paternity leave.

India's captain Virat Kohli directs his fielders on the third day of their cricket test match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, (AP)

Kohli is captain across all the three formats for India - and with major ICC events lining up in the next couple of years, Saba Karim said that the team management should find ways to ease pressure on Kohli.

"To be honest, I feel all such discussions are quite unnecessary. We should feel blessed because we have 2 senior players who can lead the side: Virat Kohli as captain and Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain," the former stumper said in an interview on Sportskeeda Live.

"And it is good to have diverse personalities in a team as leaders. One lead with so much aggression, the other is very calm but the result is the same and both are extremely effective. They know how to handle tough situations and how to inspire their colleagues and that's what India needs at this stage," he added.

"At the same time, I feel that it is equally important for the selectors to have this constant engagement with Virat in the terms of his responsibilities as a captain in all three formats. You have to allow that kind of space to a player like Virat Kohli who has led the side with distinction for so many years.

"Is he comfortable leading all three formats? Because this is the year we play the T20 World Cup, we have the ODI World Cup coming up, plus the Test matches are now part of a World Test series.

"Is he happy with the kind of responsibility that is given to him? If you have this kind of conversation with the captain, I am sure Virat, Ajinkya Rahane and the team management will come up with the right kind of solution to ease the pressure on Virat," Saba Karim signed.