Mumbai: Virat Kohli is licking his wounds after waging a lone battle in a losing cause in the first Test at Edgbaston and M.S. Dhoni applied soothing balm by calling the skipper “a legend” of the sport.

“He (Virat) is the best, and has already reached the status of a legend. I feel very happy for him, for the way he has batted everywhere and made runs. He keeps taking the team forward and that is what you want from a leader,” said Dhoni at an event here on Tuesday.

The former captain also insisted that the Edgbaston Test was a win for India, although Kohli & Co. suffered a 31-run defeat. “To win a Test match you need 20 wickets and we did that and that is the only answer I would give. It doesn’t matter how well you bat and how long you are there, whether you played for five days, if you take 20 wickets you win a Test match,” he said.

The wicket keeper also rubbished the news about his retirement. The rumour mills worked overtime after he requested for the match ball after the final ODI in England last month. Many speculated that Dhoni had played his last game and took the ball as a memento.

“I did that to see why we are not able to get reverse swing. We will have to keep working,” he added.