MS Dhoni has come out in defence of the Indian team after their 4-1 loss in the five-Test series in England, saying that the batsmen found it difficult to adjust to the conditions because of a lack of practice games.
“The Indian team missed out on playing practice matches before the series, which is why the batsmen are finding it difficult to adjust,” said the 37-year-old wicket-keeper batsman in an event in his hometown of Ranchi before flying out to the UAE for the Asia Cup 2018.
“This is a part of the game. We shouldn’t forget that India is currently No. 1 in the rankings.”
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Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket in 2014, is still an integral part of India’s limited-overs set-up[/caption]
Dhoni, who relinquished the captaincy of the Indian limited-overs sides in January 2017, said that his decision to step down was because he wanted to give the new skipper – Virat Kohli – time to settle down in the role ahead of the 2019 World Cup, to be played in England and Wales.
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“I resigned from captaincy because I wanted the new captain to get enough time for preparing a team before the 2019 World Cup,” he said.
“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.”
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Dhoni recently crossed 10,000 runs in ODI cricket[/caption]
Dhoni is still an integral part of India’s middle-order in white-ball cricket, and also plays a very important role behind the stumps – with his glovework as well as tactical acumen.
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Now, with Kohli rested for the Asia Cup and Rohit Sharma stepping in, Dhoni’s experience might be even more crucial for the six-time champions.
India will take on qualifiers Hong Kong in their opening match of the tournament on September 18, before locking horns with arch-rivals Pakistan the next day.
