Dhoni in no mood to step down as captain

Rajkot, Jan 10 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Thursday said stepping down from the ODI captaincy was something he hasn’t thought about and left it to the selectors to take the call.

On the eve of the first ODI here against England, when asked whether he had thought about stepping down as captain from any of the versions, Dhoni said: “Never… In team sport, it is important that everyone keeps believing in themselves and understands their responsibility.”

Dhoni said it was for the selectors to decide his future as captain.

“We have to wait and watch (the selectors) but that’s something that is not in my mind before the start of an important series. I can’t think about that. It is very important to stay focused on this series,” he said.

With star opener Virender Sehwag dropped from the ODI squad, there were calls for Dhoni’s removal as skipper following the team’s Test series defeat to England before Christmas and ODI series loss at the hands of Pakistan.

Dhoni, however, remains unfazed. He was India’s best player during the Pakistan series, with scores of 113 not out, 54 not out and 36 in the 1-2 defeat.

“We play the longer format, shorter format and T20, they are different challenges altogether,” he said. “But in India at the top level you are expected to stand up to these challenges.”

Dhoni also hinted that Sehwag’s replacement in the squad, Cheteshwar Pujara, was unlikely to play Friday.

IANS 2013-01-10 20:42:03