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‘India went through a dark phase’: Sachin Tendulkar opens up on captaincy stint

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Tendulkar looked back on leading the national side as an immense honour despite dealing with administrative constraints and a dark phase for the sport in India. He highlighted Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni as his personal favourite captains, having reached the 2003 World Cup final under Ganguly before finally lifting the trophy under Dhoni in 2011. Additionally, Tendulkar commended South African skipper Temba Bavuma for leading from the front during a recent 2-1 Test series win against Australia. He noted that competitive international triumphs and potential ICC titles for South Africa are healthy developments for global cricket.

Key points

  • Administrative structures within the BCCI have grown substantially more professional sinc…: Administrative structures within the BCCI have grown substantially more professional since the challenging eras of the 1990s.
  • Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni stand out as Tendulkar's top Indian captains due to their maj…: Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni stand out as Tendulkar's top Indian captains due to their major tournament leadership.
  • South Africa achieving success and contending for ICC trophies provides a significant pos…: South Africa achieving success and contending for ICC trophies provides a significant positive boost to the international game.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Cricket legend

Sachin Tendulkar has offered an insight into his unsuccessful stints as India's captain, admitting that he did not always have complete control over team selection during his leadership years in the 1990s.

Tendulkar, who represented India across formats during an international career spanning 24 years, addressed the subject during an 'Ask Me Anything' session on Reddit on Tuesday. He also named his favourite Indian captains and shared his admiration for South Africa skipper

Temba Bavuma.

The batting great, who made his international debut on November 15, 1989, and retired on November 16, 2013, described leading India as a tremendous honour.

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However, he acknowledged that the role came with limitations, particularly when it came to choosing the playing XI.

"It was a great honour to lead the team as captain. However, I didn’t always have the freedom to pick my team entirely on my own. The

BCCI today is a far more professional organisation than it was in the 1990s. Indian cricket also went through a particularly dark phase during that period," Tendulkar said.

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