Indian jersey reminds me of our great legacy, says MS Dhoni

From taking over the captaincy of the Indian team during the first T20 World Cup in 2007, Dhoni has seen a lot in Indian cricket and he became only the second Indian captain to win a cricket World Cup. It was under his leadership that the Indian side topped the ICC Test rankings and won the Champions Trophy in 2013 as well. So, the former captain had a lot to contribute to the rich cricketing history of the country which took a big leap after Kapil Dev and team won the third Prudential World Cup in 1983. Now, the Jharkhand cricketer has come out to say that the Indian jersey is something that reminds him of the great legacy the sport has in India.

"It always reminds me of the great legacy that we have got. It's not only that. Playing each and every bilateral series, reaching No 1 across formats, all these are motivational stuff," Dhoni said during the launch of Indian team's new 2019 World Cup jersey in Hyderabad, reported PTI. 

"It feels good to always get into past a bit. During first World Cup in 1983, we were very young. Later, saw videos of how everyone celebrated. In 2007, we won World T20. So we are good at it (World titles). It's good that we carried that legacy forward and hand it over to the future generations. Hopefully, the (new) jersey becomes a part of lot of World Cups but it is the consistency that we are really proud of.”

The 2019 Cricket World Cup is scheduled to begin from May 30 in England and Wales with the Indian team starting its campaign on June 5 against South Africa. The Men in Blue had a brilliant run in the previous edition of the global event till the semi-final in which they were defeated by Australia. Meanwhile, the former captain has said that the team is in right path as far as the preparations for this World Cup are concerned.

"That's what you aim for, that's what you plan for. Once one World Cup finishes you start preparing for the next one and you have the Champions Trophy in between. All these ICC events, you keep preparing for them... you want your best players fit and in form for the big tournaments,” Dhoni explained.

"We are on the right path, it will be a task to keep everybody fit because the Indian cricket team always has a very long schedule. It's a challenge but we are up for it. It's a different looking side. If you compare it to the early 2000s sides, the fitness levels of all the players are very different. They are right up when it comes to the best athletes in the world. There is no question of anyone feeling a lot of pressure. I think we are in the right space right now and we just need to keep progressing slowly and gently towards the World Cup," Dhoni said.