Dravid quits captaincy; replacement on Tue

Rahul Dravid today sprang a surprise by resigning as the captain of Indian cricket team on the ground that the burden of leadership was affecting his batting.

Back from leading India to a rare series win against England, Dravid submitted his resignation to BCCI Chief Sharad Pawar, who was quoted as saying that "Dravid told me during the recent tour of England that he wanted to step down. He said captaincy was affecting his batting and he now wants to concentrate on his game.

"After leading the team for two years, he wants the opportunity to go to some new person," Pawar said.

The national selectors will meet on September 18 to choose Dravid's successor amid speculation that the job may be split with Sachin Tendulkar likely to return as the captain of the Test team and Mahendra Singh Dhoni tipped to be the ODI skipper.

Dravid's abrupt decision bring to an end his two-year reign during which he led India in 25 Tests, winning eight and losing six with 11 matches drawn.

In one-dayers, Dravid captained in 79 matches, winning 42 and losing 33 while four matches ended in no result.

"Rahul Dravid met Sharad Pawar at Delhi on September 13 and expressed his desire to step down as the captain of the Indian team and requested that he should not be considered for the job from the ensuing Australia series," said a BCCI press release.

The 34-year-old Dravid has assured that he would extend his full co-operation to his successor and contribute as a batsman and a senior player, it said.