Raja believes Dhoni will hugely benefit if some of the pressure is taken off his shoulders

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni should give up the Twenty20 captaincy in order to allow an upcoming youngster to take his place and perhaps turn the team’s fortunes around.

“I expect him to possibly exit T20 arena gracefully,” Raja said. “Let other develop the team. Let other young captains come through.

“Indian subcontinent is [a] stats-based cricket economy where fans look at the records. They do not look at how many matches India and Pakistan have won.”

Ex-Pakistan pace bowler Wasim Akram also noted that Dhoni should continue coming in at number six and not promote himself up the batting order.

“I don’t think so,” Akram said. “I feel, he is good at number six. If he come out at number four, he may not get runs.

“Remember, he keeps (wicket). Keeping is most difficult in cricket. He has to sit and stand for every delivery for 300 balls and expecting him to come to bat at number four is not humanly possible.”

Akram noted that pace bowler Ishant Sharma had been extremely disappointing over the past two years and suggested that India should find a replacement for him until he regains his form.

“I think his pace has come down a bit,” Akram added. “In [one] match, he gave away 86 runs in 10 overs. He has to learn quickly.”

The former left-arm seamer threw his support behind quick bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, stating that he has the ability to regain his spot in the national team, but first has to prove himself to the national selectors by excelling at the first-class level.

“Sreesanth can swing the ball and with the pace he has, he can be in any format of the game as long as he is physically fit,” Akram said.