Shahid Afridi

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Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi believes that Virat Kohli, who recently stepped down as the captain of the India T20I side, should withdraw from the leadership role across formats. He believes that such a move could help him flourish as a batter for his team. Although Virat hasn't had a real horror run with the bat, there is clearly a dip from the high standards set by his own self in the past.

Kohli's last century came two years ago in the historic Pink-ball test at the Eden Gardens against Bangladesh in November 2019. After Kohli decided to step down as the captain of the T20I format, the BCCI named Rohit Sharma the captain for the T20I series against New Zealand.

Afridi has termed this decision by the BCCI as a good one. Afridi who had played with the Hitman in the Indian Premier League when the two were part of the Deccan Chargers franchise said that Rohit has a top mindset and believes he is the right man to take Indian cricket forward.

Rohit can stay relaxed and show aggression when needed: Afridi

"I think he has been a wonderful force for Indian cricket but I think it would be best if he decided to retire as captain in all formats now," Afridi said while speaking on Samaa television channel as quoted in a PTI report.

"I have played with Rohit for a year and he is an outstanding player with a top mentality. His biggest asset is he can stay relaxed where required and show aggression when it is needed the most," he added.

The former Pakistan all-rounder said that the Indian opener has the mental strength required to be a good leader which is evident from the success of Mumbai Indians in the T20 tournament.

"He is a top-level player with terrific shot selection and he has the mentality to be a good leader of the players," the 44-year-old said.

In a recent interview, outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri also hinted that Kohli could leave ODI captaincy and might focus on leading the Test team, a format which he enjoys the most. However, for now, Kohli remains in charge of the ODI and Test formats.