Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has named the captains from his illustrious international career who are his favourite.
The Master Blaster played for India for almost 24 years and had captained under Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
But when asked which leaders impressed him most, Sachin specifically named Ganguly and Dhoni (who made a huge contribution to Indian cricket).
He revealed this during a recent Ask Me Anything session on Reddit where he answered questions about playing days, leadership experiences and memorable moments from his career.
His response caught the attention of cricket followers as he shared dressing room with some of the greatest captains in Indian cricket history.
During an online interaction Sachin was asked who is his favourite captain among many leaders he played under. He named Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni as his top choices.
“Both captains deserve a special place among the leaders I have played under,” said Sachin. Their leadership styles were different but both had important roles to play in shaping Indian cricket during their periods.
Ganguly was widely acknowledged for building a confident Indian team which was willing to fight hard against the best international opposition.
Under his leadership India developed overseas competitive mentality with young players getting opportunities to establish themselves at international level. Ganguly also backed emerging talents (players who later became major contributors to Indian cricket).
MS Dhoni was calm and composed in captaincy. His ability to relax under pressure, take decisions and trust his players helped India achieve many historic things. Under Dhoni India won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
These successes made Dhoni one of the most successful captains in international cricket. Sachin was part of India’s historic 2011 World Cup winning campaign which was so memorable because it fulfilled his dream of winning the World Cup on home soil.
Dhoni’s leadership during that campaign is one of the greatest chapters in Indian cricket history.
Apart from talking about his favourite captains Sachin also talked about how he himself captained India. The great batter led the national side twice between 1996 and 2000 but his captaincy stint was not as successful as his batting career.
When asked about those years Sachin said that leadership environment and cricket administration were different then. He reportedly said that he didn’t have complete freedom when it came to picking players or deciding on the playing XI (ideal). “I didn’t have enough support and decision making authority so it was tough to lead the national team,” he added.
Sachin also said that the late 90s were one of the toughest periods in Indian cricket because of what was going on within the system. He was one of the greatest players in the history of the game but there were several hurdles while he tried to build a competitive team.
His comments have once again brought back memories of the difficulties he had during his captaincy years. Even though leadership didn’t bring results for a player of his stature, individually he remained one of the most respected cricketers in the world.
The Master Blaster also compared cricket administration then with what it is now. He said the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has become much more professional over the years. The captains and players of today get better infrastructure, support staff, planning facilities and administrative backing than was available back then in the 1990s.
Professional systems have made Indian cricket stronger and more competitive across all formats. His comments give an interesting insight into how the sport has changed over the last three decades.
Interestingly Sachin wasn’t only talking about Indian cricket. He also praised South African Test captain Temba Bavuma for leadership and fighting spirit.
Bavuma has been recognised for leading South Africa through tough international assignments as well as inspiring his team to compete strongly against top cricketing nations.
Sachin’s appreciation was for leaders who are determined, responsible and can inspire their teammates. South Africa’s recent form has also helped make Bavuma a bigger figure in the team’s cricketing journey.
Overall, Sachin Tendulkar’s latest interaction has given cricket fans a fascinating insight into his views on leadership and evolution of Indian cricket.
The fact that he named Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni as favourite captains is significant because both leaders shaped Indian cricket in different ways Ganguly built an aggressive confident team but Dhoni turned it into a side which could win big tournaments overseas.
Sachin’s thoughts on his captaincy failures also show how administrative support and leadership freedom are needed in professional sports; Temba Bavuma gets the praise further to show that good leadership doesn’t have borders.
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