India under Dhoni’s leadership won the inaugural edition of ICC T20 World Cup. (AP Photo/File)
Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday said he quit captaincy ‘at the right time’. Speaking to reporters at an event organised by CISF in Ranchi, Jharkhand, the 36-year-old added that he wanted Virat Kohli to get ample time to build a squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
“I resigned from captaincy because I wanted the new captain to get enough time for preparing a team before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019,” the wicketkeeper-batsman was quoted as saying by the Deccan Chronicle. “Selecting a strong team without giving the new captain appropriate time isn’t possible. I believe that I left the captaincy at the right time,” Dhoni added.
Speaking on India’s recent Test series defeat in England, Dhoni pointed towards lack of practice matches prior to the start of the series as one of the reasons for batting failures. “Indian team missed out on playing practices matches before the series, which is why the batsmen are finding it difficult to adjust,” he said. “This is a part of game. We shouldn’t forget that India is currently No. 1 in the rankings,” he added.
India, under Dhoni’s leadership, won the inaugural edition of ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. He also led the team to the World Cup title in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. He announced his retirement from Test cricket in November 2014, and later, resigned from captaincy from all formats in January 2017.