It was Sachin Tendulkar’s idea to make MS Dhoni captain of India’s one-day cricket team, BCCI president Sharad Pawar disclosed today.Pawar recalled how the Indian team plunged into a crisis in England last year with the then captain Rahul Dravid dropping first hints of his reluctance to lead the team. “By that time, Rahul had told me he could not concentrate on his game and requested me to find someone else. Some of the selectors wanted Sachin to lead and I conveyed it to him. But Sachin said, ‘please don’t do this.’ I asked then who should lead the side and he said ‘give it to someone like Dhoni’.“He said ‘give Dhoni the opportunity. He has excellent relation with the teammates’. I told him I would not interfere but would definitely convey it to the selectors,” the BCCI chief said.Pawar also hailed Tendulkar and fellow senior players Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble for paving way for the youngsters in the Twenty20 team. “I was in England when we were playing them. Sachin met me and suggested to tell the selectors not to include players of his generation in the Twenty20 squad. He said ‘my generation is not fit for Twenty20, so give opportunity to the youngsters.” “Now who would come and say ‘don’t induct us’, when that means losing a few lakh rupees? I think we are fortunate to have players like Rahul, Sourav and Anil. Their commitment is unquestionable,” Pawar said.Pawar praised Dhoni’s leadership qualities after the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman led India to the Twenty20 World Cup and the tri-series triumph in Australia.“Dhoni, as captain, has done extremely well. He can motivate and has a good equation with other players. He is also cool (under pressure).”
