Puri: Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sachin Tendulkar’s first India captain, spoke to The Telegraph on the eve of his completing 20 years at the international level.

Excerpts from the interview

Q Twenty Novembers ago, did you expect rookie Sachin to become the legend he is?

A To a certain extent, yes, because of his approach and the way he showed character… In fact, I remember telling Sachin that, one day, he’d be a big name and, when that happened, he shouldn’t forget his first India captain.

What were your initial impressions of him?

Look, I’d already seen Sachin get runs in domestic cricket… It’s not that he hadn’t been making headlines before being picked for India… In Pakistan, I found him calm… There was no nervousness and nothing seemed to fluster him.

Do you recall telling Sachin anything in particular before his debut, in the Karachi Test?

That he would play all four Tests and not worry if he failed to begin big… It’s necessary to give that confidence. Moreover, Sachin had then just been 16… He was a school kid.

Sachin had an ordinary debut (15). Did you, as the captain, have to lift his confidence immediately after that?

But he’d batted for close to half-an-hour and wasn’t afraid of facing Imran (Khan), Wasim Akram and Waqar (Younis), who was also making his debut… As Karachi was the first Test, our intention was to avoid losing, thereby not starting on the back foot.

The kid showed character in the final Test, in Sialkot, when he didn’t go off despite being hit by Waqar…

Sachin did, of course… By then, if you remember, Pakistan had become desperate… For us, drawing a series in Pakistan would be like winning… For Pakistan, though, a draw at home would be like a defeat… Eventually, we came away 0-0.

What were your impressions of Sachin at the end of the four-Test series?

Very positive… I think I’d suggested to Sachin that he might not play in the ODIs to follow, as I wanted him to concentrate on Test cricket… I had to change my mind after he launched a savage attack on Abdul Qadir during the (limited overs) exhibition match in Peshawar… We lost by four runs, but Sachin showed he could single-handedly almost win a match… One felt the same emotions in Hyderabad recently.

Sachin’s ODI career began with a duck (in Gujranwala)…

It was a truncated series and, really, that zero didn’t mean much… Indeed, hasn’t Sachin proved exactly that?

What stands out where Sachin is concerned?

His commitment… Passion… His discipline… Even after 20 years, he continues to jump up and down like a schoolboy… It’s simply amazing.

Anything else?

Well, Sachin’s an all-in-one player… He can defend and, at the same time, quickly change gears to attack… Also, he plays both pace and spin with ease and has got runs all over… Australia, England…The subcontinent…

Is there something in Sachin you envy?

(Laughs) I wish I had a stable mind like his!

Has Sachin changed, off the field?

Sachin is still rather shy and quite silent… He doesn’t boast and has remained level-headed… I’d like to compliment his parents for an excellent upbringing… I must add that Sachin remains a good listener, too… That’s another fine quality which he possesses… He wants to keep improving.

Where would you place Sachin in comparison to Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev?

Oh, they are all so different… Each one is a great.

You’re being diplomatic…

I’ve stated the reality.

In years to come, how will you remember Sachin?

To give you a simple answer — as one who was the pillar of our batting in Tests and ODIs.

As the chief selector, are you tempted to give Sachin a break, allowing his 36-year-old body to recover?

Sachin knows his body the best… He lets us know when he wants a break… I guess he has set his sights on helping India win the 2011 World Cup.

Finally, just how much can the present-day cricketers learn from Sachin?

Lots… Lots… Passion, commitment… Always being a team man… The remarkable way he handles the pressure from over a billion people..

November 15th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: Arjun