New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) India’s legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev said Friday that under-fire cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni deserves to be backed as long as he leads the side.

“Dhoni is our captain and we should support him. The team needs our support,” said Kapil, who famously led India to its maiden World cup triumph in 1983.

Dhoni, who also gave India its second World Cup victory in 2011 after 25 years, has hit a rough patch. The team suffered a 0-4 whitewash in England, where it was also dislodged from its No.1 Test status.

Dhoni’s defensive captaincy in the Test series in Australia has been severely criticised. India are also trailing 0-3 in the Border Gavaskar Trophy and are on a seven-away Test losing streak.

The India captain has also performed poorly with the bat scoring just 133 runs at an average of 16.5 in his last eight innings. Dhoni has also hinted that he may retire from the longer version of the game by 2013 keeping in mind the 2015 World Cup.

Kapil said it was time for fans to back the team.

“Yes, India have played very badly and we are all unhappy, but let’s talk about them only after the series,” Kapil said.