Dhoni may quit captaincy

Read: England smash India in fifth Test

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India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has hinted he may stand down as skipper of the Test team after a thrashing at The Oval condemned his side to a 3-1 series defeat in England.

The innings-and-244-run loss in the fifth Test saw England become only the second team in history to claim a five-Test series win with victories in the final three matches after being behind after two games.

Quick Single: Indian press turn on Dhoni's men

Asked if he had taken the Test team as far as he can by Indian journalists, Dhoni said: "Maybe, yes.

"You'll have to wait and watch. If I'm strong enough or not strong enough, you'll have to wait and get the news."

The pressure on Dhoni completes the reversal of fortunes between England and India, with Alastair Cook beaming after the series victory and silencing his own doubters.

It has been 31 innings since Cook scored the last of his 25 Test centuries and the England skipper revealed after The Oval that he was on the verge of quitting as England's captain during the Sri Lanka series in June.

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Now, though, Dhoni is the one facing questions over his future and India's skipper blamed the team's top order for letting the 1-0 series lead slip.

"The last three Tests, we were not up to the mark, we never competed.

"Today's batting was a reflection of a loss of confidence. It's disappointing.

"Right from the start, our batsmen haven't performed – it was the lower order. Later on in the series, when the lower order didn't perform, we saw there wasn't enough runs on the board."

India's colossal defeat in the fifth Test was yet another crushing away loss for Dhoni's men, with just one victory from their past 19 Tests on foreign soil.

That came last month when they beat England by 95 runs in the second Test at Lord's to go 1-0 up in the series after the first Test in Nottingham ended in a draw.

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But England bounced back with a crushing 266-run win in the third Test at Southampton to square the series and then hammered India with back-to-back innings victories inside three days.

India have now lost 13 and drawn five of their last 19 away Tests.

And to rub salt into the wound, Dhoni's side was today punished following the fifth Test for a slow over rate - with the skipper himself copping a 60 per cent fine. 

Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after India were ruled to be three overs short of its target at the end of the match when time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with ICC lawss, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount, which means that the remainder of the side all copped fines equating to 30 per cent of their match fees.

If Dhoni is found guilty of one more minor over-rate offence in Tests over the next 12 months, he will receive a one-match suspension.

India's recent away record

Drawn v West Indies, Bridgetown Jun 2011

Drawn v West Indies, Roseau Jul 2011

Lost 196 runs v England, Lord's Jul 2011

Lost 319 runs v England, Nottingham Jul 2011

Lost inns and 242 runs v England, Birmingham Aug 2011

Lost inns and 8 runs v England, The Oval Aug 2011

Lost 122 runs v Australia, Melbourne Dec 2011

Lost inns and 68 runs v Australia, Sydney Jan 2012

Lost inns and 37 runs v Australia, Perth Jan 2012

Lost 298 runs v Australia, Adelaide Jan 2012

Drawn v South Africa, Johannesburg Dec 2013

Lost 10 wickets v South Africa, Durban Dec 2013

Lost 40 runs v New Zealand, Auckland Feb 2014

Drawn v New Zealand, Wellington Feb 2014

Drawn v England, Nottingham Jul 2014

Won 95 runs v England, Lord's Jul 2014

Lost 266 runs v England, Southampton Jul 2014

Lost inns and 54 runs v England, Old Trafford Aug 2014

Lost inns and 244 runs v England The Oval Aug 2014