cricket

Updated: Sep 13, 2018 18:07 IST

India’s 2011 ICC World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that the timing of his resignation from captaincy in limited overs cricket was perfect keeping in mind the team’s future.

“I resigned from captaincy because I wanted the new captain (Virat Kohli) to get enough time for preparing a team before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019,” the 37-year-old was quoted as saying by the Deccan Chronicle.

According to the report the former India captain was speaking at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at a motivational event conducted by the Central Industrial Security Force.

Dhoni went on to add that it was important to give Virat Kohli enough time ahead of the next World Cup, which will be held in England in 2019.

“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 said.

Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket in 2014, defended the Indian team after their 1-4 loss to England in the recently concluded Test series by reminding everyone that India are still the top Test team in the world.

“Indian team missed out on playing practices matches before the series, which is why the batsmen are finding it difficult to adjust. This is a part of game. We shouldn’t forget that India is currently No. 1 in the rankings,” he continued.

Dhoni’s next challenge with the Indian team is the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE, where the team will take on arch rivals Pakistan and Hong Kong in the group A.