Sachin Tendulkar would himself admit that he was not the most motivational captain: Shashi Tharoor

Indian politician Shashi Tharoor is known to speak his mind unfiltered whenever he likes and is hitting the headlines again for getting absolutely candid on Sachin Tendulkar. Tharoor has always been an ardent cricket follower, and people also recognize him for the amazing choice of words he puts on the table.

In a latest interview where politician appeared, he stated that he was never impressed with Master Blaster’s skills in the capacity of a captain of the team. The Kerala MP opines that there was a time when Tendulkar was probably thought of as the best bet to lead the Men in Blue, but his perception changed after the team failed to deliver at many events under his guidance.

The Little Master entered his captaincy stint in 1996 and thereafter led the national squad in 73 ODIs and 25 Tests.

“I thought Tendulkar was the best possible captain of India before he became captain. Because when he was not captain, he was so active – he was fielding in the slips, running up to the captain of the day, giving advice and encouragement,” Tharoor told Sportskeeda in an interview.

When Sachin became captain, it didn’t work out: Shashi Tharoor

When Sachin assumed captaincy charge, the team won only 23 ODIs out of 73 played. In the same light, the politician said that Tendulkar would agree himself that he wasn’t the most inspirational guy.

“I said let’s make this guy captain because he really is there in every way. When he became captain, it didn’t work out. He had a not terribly strong Indian team in his days of captaincy, but he himself would admit that was not the most inspirational, motivational captain.”

“This was partially because he had his own batting to think about. And in the end, he happily gave up captaincy and refused to take it when it was offered again later,” he concluded.

It was only under Tendulkar that the team saw the face of one of their worst defeats overseas. In the 1999 Test series against Australia, India was down 0-3 and could clinch only a single ODI in the tri-series that involved Pakistan as well.