Tendulkar captained India in two distinct stints—from August 1996 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2000.
Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters of all time. He represented India in 200 Tests, scoring the world record number of runs (15921) and centuries (51).
While Tendulkar continues to hold the record for most ODI runs (18426 in 463 matches), his tally of hundreds (49) in the 50-over format has been surpassed by compatriot Virat Kohli (55).
During his playing days, the iconic cricketer used to carry the entire nation’s weight of expectations on his shoulders. He played a crucial role in bringing many laurels to the country, including the coveted World Cup trophy in 2011.
Apart from being a batting maestro, Tendulkar captained India in two distinct stints—from August 1996 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2000. He led India to notable victories such as the Titan Cup (beating Australia and South Africa) and a home Test series win against Australia (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) in 1996, but faced struggles on difficult overseas tours to South Africa, Australia, and the West Indies.
During an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit, Sachin Tendulkar recently opened up about his India captaincy tenure and also named his favourite India captains.
Tendulkar shared that while leading India was a great honour, he did not always have the freedom to pick his team entirely on his own, noting that the BCCI of the 1990s operated differently and that Indian cricket was navigating a difficult period.
“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 wrote.
When asked about his favourite captains to play under, Tendulkar named Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni at the top of his list. He also expressed admiration for South Africa captain Temba Bavuma for leading his team from the front and delivering major results.
"I truly admire Temba Bavuma's spirit. He has led from the front and delivered some remarkable results for South African cricket. South Africa winning an ICC title is great for world cricket! As far as my favourite captains go, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni would definitely be at the top of my list," he remarked.
Tendulkar was also asked whether India's latest poster boy of cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, deserved a leadership role at this beginning of his career.
"I feel it's too early for him to become a vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy. We have to let him play more matches with the red ball and take one step at a time!" the cricket legend wrote in his reply.