Birmingham: Under fire till recently, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was overwhelmed with relief on becoming the most successful Indian ODI captain after the win over England here and said the triumph has lifted the gloom that set in due to the Test debacle.
India thrashed England by nine wickets to take an invincible 3-0 lead in the five-match series here to compensate for the 1-3 Test series loss. The victory also made Dhoni the most successful Indian ODI captain with 91 wins.
"When I started leading the team, I got a fantastic team then, and I have got a fantastic side right now," an ecstatic said Dhoni after the match.
"There will be ups and downs, but thanks to everyone, whoever I have played with. Without their contribution it wouldn't really have been possible. All the senior players I played with and who played under me, followed by the youngsters. I personally feel we are a very good, a fantastic ODI side. And there will be ups and downs, but what is important is to keep the intent positive. Thanks to all the players.
"We had a tough time in the Test series, but the change of format helps. This format pushes you to be impressive on the field, but at the same time pushes you to back yourself to play your shots. I was very happy with the fast bowlers, especially how they bowled with the new ball. And spinners as well, when they have a bit of help from the wicket, they will always do well," he added.
Talking pertinently about the series win, Dhoni said India kept on improving with every match especially after the 1-3 drubbing in the Test series against England.
"The good thing is that we have kept improving from the first ODI onwards. That's definitely a big positive. It was a good toss to win today. The fast bowlers bowled really well initially and gave us those early breakthroughs because of which we were able to put pressure on their middle order.
"Overall we are very happy. Ajinkya Rahane also got a century and we got an opening partnership. So it was a complete game for us," he said.
Rahane scored 106 runs, his maiden ODI hundred, and while doing so, he put on 183 runs for the opening wicket with Shikhar Dhawan who returned to form with an unbeaten 97.
Thanks to their efforts, India scored 212 for one in just 30.3 overs overhauling England's 206 all out with 19.3 overs to spare.
