Wanted Virat Kohli to get more time as captain before 2019 World Cup, reveals MS Dhoni

The India wicket-keeper batsman is widely regarded as one of the most successful captains in international cricket. The Ranchi-born player is right up there with greats like Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith, Sourav Ganguly, Kumar Sangakkara among others when it comes to captaincy in international cricket. But all good things must come to an end. Dhoni stepped down as captain in early 2017 and handed over the reins of the Indian team to batsman- Virat Kohli.

While many were left saddened by his decision, the World Cup winning captain has now revealed the reason behind his move. Always a realist, Dhoni knew his time on the big stage was nearing an end and thought that it was better to step down on a high. He claimed that he let go of the captaincy so that the new leader would be given enough time to assemble his players ahead of next year’s ICC ODI World Cup in England & Wales.

"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. 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,"  the wicketkeeper-batsman told sections of the media in Ranchi recently, reported NDTV.

Kohli had earlier taken up the Test captaincy in December 2014, when Dhoni retired from the longest format after the MCG Test against Australia. But he continued to lead the team in the shorter versions of cricket.

The 37-year old, who is a part of the Indian team for the upcoming Asia Cup, captained India in 199 ODIs, of which he won 110 and lost 74. He also led India in 72 T20Is, winning on 41 occasions. He was also India's most successful Test captain, with 27 wins, 18 defeats and 15 draws.