My body gave up on me: Kumble

New Delhi: It is finally time for the Spin King to call it quits and Anil Kumble announced his retirement after the Kotla Test on Sunday.

In his first interview since calling it quits, Kumble told CNN-IBN that the final straw was the injury he sustained during the Test in Delhi.

And even as he ended his 18-year long career, the legendary spinner said that he was convinced that Mahnedra Singh Dhoni is ready for the the job of leading the Indian Test team.

"I have to listen to my body and that is something that I have always done. Yes, it is tough but I have kept pushing it for all these years. I think it was time for me to take into account that my body can't hold up and then there was the unfortunate injury during the Test match that probably hastened my decision," said Kumble.

However, he added, "Dhoni has done exceptionally well in all forms of the game as a captain and I think we have a very able leader in him. It is the right time for him to take over and I think I am happy to hand it over and move on."

Elaborating on his sudden decision to retire, the man said, "You always want to keep playing as a competitor, you always want to keep fighting even if your body is not really responding well, yet you want to go out there and prove that you are capable of performing. But when my body is not responding, it is better to listen to the body and say 'times up'."

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