Sachin Tendulkar was a good captain despite poor record, didn’t have a great team, says Madan Lal

Former India cricketer and coach Madan Lal said Sachin Tendulkar was actually a good captain despite results proving otherwise.

In an interview with SportsKeeda during a Facebook Live session, Madan Lal mentioned that Tendulkar could not become a highly successful captain because he did not have a great team playing under him.

File image of former India cricketer Madan Lal. Reuters

Speaking about Tendulkar's reign as a captain, Lal said that Tendulkar was so involved with his own performance, he found it difficult to take care of the team.

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"Because as a captain you not only need to take care of your performance, but also get the best performance from the other 10 players. It is critical how you manage them," he said.

Stating that a captain can only give directions, the former coach who guided the team during Tendulkar's reign as a skipper said that at time the captain is as good as his team.

"When you perform well and give confidence to the captain, he also gives you chances without any hesitation. He gets involved with you in discussions and makes plans regarding the game," he added.

Lal further said that Tendulkar had a great understanding of the game and was able to tell players where they were going wrong. However, he added that it happens sometimes, that a player gives so much attention to his/her game that the difficulties compound.

Tendulkar captained India in 73 ODIs between 1996 and 2000 but managed to win only 23. The legendary cricketer also captained India in 25 Tests where he led the team to four victories and nine losses.

Recently, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar recalled his first meeting with a 15-year-old Tendulkar and elaborated how after seeing the youngster play, he suggested the Mumbai team selection committee to pick Tendulkar in the 15-man team on the same evening.

While the selectors said it was too early for Tendulkar, Vengsarkar convinced them to take him in the squad and not include him in the playing XI. Tendulkar went on to make it to the India team by the following year.