'Rahul was captain but..': Sachin Tendulkar reveals why he recommended MS Dhoni's name for captaincy

Widely regarded as one of the greatest ever captains to lead Team India, MS Dhoni will go down in history among the best ever. He's the only captain in the history of the sport to win all three ICC events, namely T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and the champions trophy. 

When Dhoni first captained a young Team India during their triumph in the 2007 T20 World Cup, there were many senior players around, but still Dhoni, a junior was handed the reigns. 

In a recent interview, speaking during an event organised by Infosys, Sachi Tendulkar, who had previously captained India revealed his conversations with the wicketkeeper-batsman, which give him an impression that Dhoni was 'mature' beyond his years. 

READ| Shoaib Malik's rumoured girlfriend Ayesha Omar finally breaks SILENCE on affair reports

The pair of Dhoni and Sachin were playing under Rahul Dravid at the time but after the success of the T20 World Cup, Dhoni soon became India's all-format captain despite his young age. 

"This was in England when I was offered the captaincy. I said we have a very good leader in the team who is still a junior, and he is someone you should look at closely," said the Master Blaster. 

He continued, "I've had many conversations with him, mostly on the field, where I'd be fielding at first slip and ask him, 'What do you think?' Though Rahul was the captain, I would ask him, and the feedback I received was very balanced, calm, yet very mature."

READ| Live Updates | IPL 2023 Auction: Mike Hesson reveals RCB's plans for auction, latest updates

"Good captaincy is about being a step ahead of the opposition. If one is smart enough to do that, like we say, 'josh se nahi, hosh se khelo' (play sensibly). It doesn't happen instantly; you won't get 10 wickets in 10 balls," added Tendulkar. 

"You have to plan it. At the end of the day, the scoreboard matters. And I saw those qualities in him. Hence, I recommended his name," he stated further. The legendary opened would go on to win the ODI World Cup in 2011 under Dhoni's leadership, before retiring in 2013.