Dhoni should be rested as T20 captain, feels Abbas

"He (Dhoni) should give up the Twenty20 format. He should be rested from the format as a captain. He should remain part of the cricket but as a captain of the ODI and Test formats. He is your Captain Cool and needs some time," said Abbas.

Dhoni's leadership has come under scanner after India slumped to yet another series defeat with a pathetic display against Pakistan following their first Test series loss to England at home in 28 years.

Pakistan spanked the hosts by 85 runs in the second cricket one-dayer in Kolkata to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Asked about the reason behind Pakistan's dominance in the ongoing series, Abbas felt that the Indian batting and bowling line-up did not seem to be the same as it used to be earlier.

"The reason which I see is that the Indian batting and bowling line-up is not the same as it used to be earlier. We have always seen that the Indian batting has won you the matches but they can't do anything if your bowlers don't perform to the required level," said Abbas on the sidelines of the CEAT cricket awards here last night.

Abbas said the hosts looked jaded after playing too much cricket in the past few months.

"The Indian team is playing a lot of ODIs and Tests these days that your players look very tired. They don't have any problem as such, it's just they need some rest.

"If you give them some rest in the days to come, you will see them performing excellently again. Winning and losing is part of the game," said Abbas, who scored 5082 runs in 78 Tests and 2572 runs in 62 ODIs and remained one of the most successful Pakistani batsmen against India.

Dhoni blamed another disappointing batting performance for the loss against Pakistan at Eden Gardens and put the onus on the seniors who failed to soak in the pressure and consolidate the innings. MORE