Rohit Sharma's captaincy will be slightly more laidback than Virat Kohli: Ajit Agarkar

Former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar has said Rohit Sharma may be slightly more laidback as captain when compared to Virat Kohli.

Nevertheless, Agarkar also believes that Rohit's leadership qualities are quite evident.

Rohit, who missed India's tour of South Africa due to a hamstring injury, is set to lead Team India against West Indies later this month. It would mark Rohit's first series as India's full-time captain in the limited-overs.

"Whatever we have seen of him, he will definitely be slightly laidback than Virat Kohli. But we have seen his leadership qualities, not just in franchise cricket. He has reached a stage of his career where he is extremely experienced, played a lot of matches in international cricket, so he has the experience of that," Agarkar said on Star Sports show 'Game Plan'.

With two back-to-back World Cups coming up – 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 Cricket World Cup – Agarkar feels Rohit's responsibility as a full-time captain will be different.

"Generally, there is a feel for the game required for a captain, it seems he has that. The responsibility will be different now because when you are a stand-in captain, you are there for a series or few matches but here you have to prepare a team for the next World Cup - whether it is T20 or 50-over," the 44-year-old former cricketer added.

The Indian team has not won an ICC title for more than eight years. Rohit will hope to lead the Men In Blue to glory in the upcoming World Cups. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in Australia, while India are the hosts of the Cricket World Cup in 2023.

Rohit Sharma's biggest challenge is to remain fit: Ajit Agarkar

Meanwhile, former Mumbai bowler Agarkar also claimed that the biggest challenge ahead of Rohit will be to "remain fit".

"I believe his [Rohit's] biggest challenge will be to remain fit. We have seen of late that he has got a few injuries. The captains who were there before him - Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni - their strength was that both were extremely fit and they missed matches very few times in their careers.

"So that will be a challenge because when you play all the games, it will be easier for you to build the team. You will be able to see closely how each player reacts in a given situation. So that will be the key for him because he has the leadership qualities and we have seen that as well," added Agarkar in the same interview.

The three-match ODI series between India and West Indies is scheduled to begin on Sunday (Feb. 6) at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Following that, the two sides will travel to Kolkata to lock horns in three T20Is at Eden Gardens.