Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considered one of India's best captains ever. However, his appointment as Team India's leader had come as surprise back in 2007. The wicketkeeper-batsman was relatively new in the team at that time. But Dhoni got the vote of confidence from the seniors who had identified his potential as a leader early on in his career.
Dhoni himself has said that Sachin Tendulkar, one of the legends of Indian cricket, played a pivotal role in his selection for the role.
Sachin Tendulkar, talking to Gaurav Kapur on Breakfast with Champions, revealed how he came to identify the leadership qualities in MS Dhoni. Kapur reminded Sachin that Dhoni has always referred to the Master Blaster as a huge supporter and one of the reasons of him becoming the leader of the Indian cricket team.
Sachin then revealed that it was their conversations during fielding that led him to appreciate Dhoni's talent.
Sachin said, "Whenever I used to be fielding in the slips, I would be discussing with him, constantly, about the fielding positions. I would say my opinions and ask him what he thought about them. Iit was during these interactions that I picked on his leadership ability."
Gaurav joked, “Dhoni may not have realised that it was a job interview.”
Dhoni was appointed the captain of the Indian cricket team in 2007. Under Dhoni's leadership, India lifted the World T20 title in 2007, ICC World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
Sachin was part of the team that lifted the 2011 World Cup and finally got his hands on the trophy.
During the interview Sachin also talked about his early days of cricket, specially meeting Sourav Ganguly during his under-15 years. He recalled how he and some teammates flooded Ganguly's room while he sleeping. Sachin also revealed that he used to call Ganguly 'Dadi' instead of 'Dada'.
Here's the video of the interview:
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