"Team Needs A Leader": Mohammed Shami On India's Next Test Captain

India pacer Mohammed Shami weighed in on the discussion around the team's next Test captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from the post recently.

The buzz surrounding India's next Test captain after Virat Kohli decided to step down post the team's 2-1 defeat at the hands of hosts South Africa has only gotten louder. And now pacer Mohammed Shami has had his say on the matter as well. Speaking to Telegraph India, Shami stressed on the importance of having a strong leader in the longest format of the game following Virat Kohli's lengthy stint as the skipper. Adding to that, Shami also talked about the role of individuals in delivering as a team and India's new limited-overs captain Rohit Sharma.

"Of course, the team needs a leader (in Test cricket). Good that our first series (under the new captain) will be at home (against Sri Lanka next month), so familiarity with the conditions brings in some sort of a relief," he said.

On the other hand, instead of stressing over who India's next Test captain would be, he explained that his focus will remain "on how I fare and how the bowling unit performs as a whole."

"But if you ask me, I will be focusing more on how I fare and how the bowling unit performs as a whole. I'm really not thinking about who takes over the captaincy. We have Rohit (Sharma), while Ajinkya (Rahane) is there as well, but all that matters is the result."

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