MS Dhoni explains why he quit as ODI captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni addressed the media in Pune, highlighting the reasons why he left captaincy, how he worked through the good and bad periods and also made some telling points about how Virat Kohli has developed as a cricketer and how with more responsibility, he will continue to get better.

Dhoni was at his relaxed best, highlighting how he went up and down the batting order as per the requirements as well as how he has relinquished his batting slot to allow someone who is better equipped to play there.

Dhoni also paid tributes to Kohli and the team, in stating that the side would be one of the most successful teams India ever had.

"If it is number, Virat`s team will win more games in all formats than mine. I feel this will be the most successful Indian team ever."

Speaking about captaincy, Dhoni said he had decided to call it quits as captain after the last South Africa series in India.

"To cut a long story short, in my mind, my last series was at home versus South Africa, after which I told BCCI I won`t captain India any more. I believe one player should lead in all three formats.

"In our scenario, split captaincy doesn`t work. it was always in mind when Kohli took over captaincy the Test captaincy. I wanted him to have some time and then I decided it was time to move on and give Kohli the full captaincy."

Dhoni said he had no regrets as skipper and how the juniors in the team carried it forward.

"I don`t regret anything in life. Whatever doesn`t kill you makes you stronger. I went through good periods and I went through tough periods."

"Once the seniors left and the juniors came in the side, the same juniors continued. "It`s a journey I really enjoyed."
About his changing his batting position, Dhoni said it was a mental thing, which not all players were equipped to handle.

"Cricket is a mental game. Once you change your batting slot, it is very difficult to adjust. I felt I could do it."
"The leader`s job is to get the best out of the team. You have to make sure that everybody is playing to the kind of potentials they have."

Source: NDTV