MS Dhoni says he has no plans to quit as captain of the India limited-overs sides despite their World Cup semi-final loss to Australia.
India suffered a 95-run defeat in Sydney to end their defence of the title they won on home soil in 2011.
Dhoni quit as Test captain in December but says he will decide on his ODI future after the 2016 World Twenty20.
“I’m 33, I’m still running, still fit. Next year, T20 World Cup, will be time to decide about 2019,” said Dhoni.
MS Dhoni record |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | |
|
ODIs |
262 |
228 |
8499 |
52.46 |
|
2015 World Cup |
8 |
6 |
237 |
59.25 |
As well as answering questions about his own future, Dhoni was also asked about the future of coach Duncan Fletcher, whose three-year contract ends after the World Cup.
“That is between the BCCI and Duncan,” replied Dhoni. “I don’t know what will happen.
“Duncan’s technical knowledge of the game is excellent. I really enjoy his company. He took over at a time when senior players had left and he had to groom the juniors. It was a tough job.”
Dhoni scored 65 from 95 balls as India failed to achieve what would have been a record run-chase for this World Cup of 329, of which Steve Smith scored 102 for Australia.
Shikar Dhawan (45) and Ajinkya Rahane (44) also contributed but India were unable to keep up with the run-rate and were eventually dismissed for 233 in the 47th over.
However, despite the disappointing defeat, Dhoni feels his side can be proud of their achievements after coming into the tournament on the back of a disappointing tour of Australia, with no competitive wins to their name.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on TMS: |
|---|
|
“I thought the chase was strange at the end. MS Dhoni is a wonderful cricketer but I don’t get his innings today. He never sent a message to me or to anyone in the ground that he was properly having a go for the runs. It was like he was having a little net. He hit two sixes off Shane Watson but that should have been tried earlier. Then he was run out. It was a brilliant throw from mid-wicket from Maxwell but he didn’t even dive to get in.” |
“Overall, I’m quite happy,” added Dhoni, whose side had won 11 successive World Cup games ahead of Monday’s semi-final, including seven matches in Australia and New Zealand.
“Where we were at the start of the tournament, a lot of people didn’t think we’d get this far.
“At the same time, when you come to the knockout stages you have to lift your game.
“There were too many (runs) to chase. If you lose quite a few wickets and you’re supposed to chase over six runs an over… our lower order, I don’t think they can contribute as much in these conditions.
“Overall, it’s good exposure for them. Maybe next time, in other conditions, they’ll know how to bat and do better.”
Most consecutive World Cup wins |
||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Country | Dates |
|
25 |
Australia |
1999-2011 |
|
11 |
India |
2011-2015 |
|
9 |
West Indies |
1975-1979 |
