Tendulkar to step down, mystery shrouds decision
The press waited in anticipation as Tendulkar announced that he would be stepping down as captain of the Indian team after the two Test matches against South Africa
Anand Vasu
20-Feb-2000
In a move that rocked the Indian cricketing world, Sachin Tendulkar
walked to the press box along with the chairman of the selection
committee Chandu Borde and Jaywant Lele, Secretary, Board of Control
for Cricket in India and before the board officials could announce the
team for the first Test against South Africa, the Indian captain
walked up to the microphone and began "I have an announcement to
make..."
The press waited in anticipation as Tendulkar announced that he would
be stepping down as captain of the Indian team after the two Test
matches against South Africa.
The Indian captain read out a written statement to that effect.
Tendulkar said that "in the beginning of the season when the then
chairman of selectors Wadekar met me and offered me the captaincy, I
hesitated as I was not mentally prepared at that time. In spite of
that I accepted. I took it up as I was most experienced and the
selectors thought I was best suited for the job. I went to Australia
knowing fully well the difficulty, given their status as current World
Champions. But I don't want to make any excuses for our performance in
Australia."
In a sentence that was vintage Tendulkar, he went on to explain: "As
captain, I accept moral responsibility for our failure and after a lot
of thought I have decided to step down as captain after the two Tests
against South Africa."
In closing, Tendulkar added that he would continue to give one hundred
percent like he always had and that he had no problems playing either
with or under any individual. He also thanked his team mates and the
Board for all their support.
The Press Box went silent for a second and was soon abuzz with
questions. Tendulkar left soon after, but the chairman of selectors
was bombarded with many sticky questions about the inclusion of
Mohammed Azharuddin after his long period of exclusion. When asked
about Tendulkar's decision, Borde said: "We tried to persuade him to
continue, but he had made up his mind. It was his decision. There is
nothing we can do about it."
The announcement from Tendulkar comes alongside the announcement of
Azharuddin's recall to the Indian team. Yet Tendulkar has said he has
no problems playing under or with anyone. Also interesting is the fact
that Kapil Dev, the coach of the Indian team, did not attend the
selection meeting. Nothing more needs to be said. As another round of
Indian cricket selection unfolds, the murky undercurrents become
clearer and clearer.