Former Indian Test captain Rahul Dravid. - file

NEW DELHI (AP):

Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid said yesterday he quit as captain of the national team because he was not enjoying the job.

"Captaincy takes a lot out of you, there's a shelf life to captaincy in India," said Dravid, who stunned the Indian cricket fraternity on Friday with his sudden resignation.

"Maybe the shelf life is becoming shorter as time goes by," Dravid was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

Dravid, 34, led India in 20 Test matches and 62 limited-overs internationals after replacing Sourav Ganguly as skipper two years ago.

India won eight Test matches under Dravid's captaincy, including a 1-0 triumph in a recent three-Test series against England - the team's first Test series win in England since 1986.

Dravid's captaincy also broke the Indian team's lean run, with last year's Test series victory in the West Indies, its first Test series triumph outside the subcontinent in two decades.

Based on my observation

Dravid said his decision to quit as captain was "based on my observation of whether I would be able to give it my very best like I've always tried to."

His resignation comes after India's 4-3 defeat by England in the limited-overs series which followed the Tests.

Dravid's own form in the one-dayers was not impressive and the Indian cricket board said he had requested that he be allowed to quit as captain to concentrate on his batting.

Dravid said the thought of relinquishing the captaincy crossed his mind after India's unceremonious exit from the first round of the World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year. But Dravid said he decided to continue to lead because he felt that he still possessed the strength and energy to do the job.

Dravid again started considering resigning toward the end of the one-day series against England that finished earlier this month.

"I wanted to give it a few days back home to see if I felt differently before taking a final call," said Dravid, who made his decision after discussing it with his family.

Indian selectors are to meet in Mumbai today to pick a new captain for the seven-match limited-overs series against world champion Australia that begins September 27.