He could have done better as a skipper

He is almost flawless when it comes to technique, but I feel he could have done better as skipper. When it came to captaincy, things did not go his way. Navjot Singh Sidhu told to Aseem Bassi.

My favourite Sachin innings
To start with, I would say the ‘Desert storm’ innings Sachin played in Sharjah in 1998 was one of the best. The master batsman showed how he could dominate the bowling and play shots at will. Sachin also played a superb innings in the Chennai Test against Pakistan and scored a hundred despite struggling with back spasm. Although India lost that Test, the world saw what a player Sachin was despite not being at his best.

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On his first Pak tour, he was hit on the nose. But the then 16-year-old did not lose courage and scored a brilliant half-century to draw the Sialkot Test.

His greatest strength
He has got a wolf in his belly, which is always hungry for runs! Sachin just knows how to convert obstacles into stepping stones, defeats into triumphs and weaknesses into strengths.

Weakness
He is almost flawless when it comes to technique, but I feel he could have done better as skipper. When it came to captaincy, things did not go his way.

Sachin & me
I feel blessed and thank God that I played alongside such a great player. Opening the innings with him and watching him from the non-striker’s end was always an inspiration for me.