When Sachin Tendulkar told selectors he did not want to be captain anymore
Former BCCI selection committee chairman Chandu Borde has recalled the time when Sachin Tendulkar informed the selectors that he did not wish to continue as the Indian cricket team captain. Borde, who played 55 Test matches for India, mentioned that the Mumbai-based batsman wanted to concentrate on his batting and hence, desired to quit as a captain.
In a live chat with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda Cricket's Facebook page, Chandu Borde touched on several interesting topics. He spoke about how Sourav Ganguly became the Indian skipper. He also narrated how he tried to convince Sachin Tendulkar to stay on as the team captain, but he refused.
Sachin Tendulkar wanted to concentrate on his batting: Chandu Borde
When asked if there is a fixed cycle of four-five years for Indian captains, Borde gave Sachin Tendulkar's example and said:
"See, if you remember, Sachin, we had sent him as a captain to Australia, and he led the side there, but when he came back, he didn't want to continue. He said, 'No, I want to concentrate on my batting.' Therefore, I tried to convince him to lead the side for a long time because we were on the lookout for a new captain, a new generation."
Australia had won that Test series 3-0, and Sachin Tendulkar was the highest run-getter for the team with 278 runs in 3 games. Still, he felt that he had not performed up to the mark.
"But he said, 'I want to concentrate on my batting because I could not get the performance that I wanted to put in for the team.' And this is what happened. So, in fact, some of my colleagues were annoyed with me. They said, 'Why you are insisting him to continue all the time!' I said we are looking forward to the future, but then in the end we had selected Ganguly," he concluded.