Dhoni quits as India limited overs skipper

New Delhi : Mahendra Singh Dhoni quit as India's limited overs captain Wednesday after a decade-long spell as skipper in which he led his team to victory in the ODI and T20 World Cups.

The Indian board said the inspirational wicketkeeping batsman would still be available for selection for the upcoming series against England but did not say who would replace him as captain.

"Mahendra Singh Dhoni has informed the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) that he wishes to step down as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team from the One Day Internationals and the T20 Internationals formats of the game," said a statement.

"On behalf of every Indian cricket fan and the BCCI, I would like to thank MS Dhoni for his outstanding contribution as the captain of the Indian team across all formats," added board chief executive Rahul Johri.

"Under his leadership, Indian team has touched new heights and his achievements will remain etched forever in the annals of Indian cricket."

He is expected to be succeeded by Virat Kohli, who took over as Test skipper after Dhoni retired from five-day matches in December 2014.

During his spell in charge of the limited overs side, Dhoni captained India to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

His finest hour came four years later when the team won the 50 overs World Cup against Sri Lanka on home turf.

However his position had come under scrutiny more recently after India were knocked out of last year's World T20 in the semi-final despite being favourites as tournament hosts.