‘Sachin Tendulkar Was Ready To Play Under Junior Most Player But…’: Top BCCI Official Reveals How MS Dhoni Became India Captain

Ahead of the 2007 ICC World T20, the Indian team management made a surprising decision to appoint a young wicketkeeper-batter as the captain ahead of a bunch of high-profile stars.

This was just a few months after the team had suffered a shocking first-round exit from the ODI World Cup in West Indies.

The young cricketer going by the name of MS Dhoni would go on to become one of the greatest captains in cricket history and remains the only skipper to have won all three ICC white-ball competitions including T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla says that the then BCCI president Shard Pawar wanted Sachin Tendulkar to take over the team captaincy and insisted on the batting maestro agreeing to accept the role.

Tendulkar, after having discussions with his family, declined the offer and claimed that he’s ready to play under the captaincy of the ‘junior most player’ in the team but won’t take the job for himself.

“I was a little involved during the time Dhoni was being handed over the India captaincy. At that time Sharad Pawar had asked him to speak with Sachin Tendulkar for captaincy role. So, I spoke with him, it was in 2007-08,” Shukla said on The Ranveer Show.

“Tendulkar thought about it and after having discussions with his family declined. Pawar insisted on Tendulkar becoming the captain. However, Sachin said ‘I am ready to play under the junior most player but won’t become captain.’ Tendulkar declined the captaincy and then Dhoni was handed over the role. And Dhoni went on to set a new benchmark,” he added.

Shukla said the selectors look for certain qualities including temperament, interaction with teammates among others in a player before picking a captain.

“He (Dhoni) was a young, emerging player, could lead. It’s a challenge to make a wicketkeeper the leader but Dhoni was mature,” he said.

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