Instrumental in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's elevation to captaincy of the Indian cricket team, Sachin Tendulkar says India's rich success under the stewardship of the star stumper from Jharkhand vindicated his faith in him.
After Rahul Dravid decided to step down from the captain's job soon after India's England tour last year, Tendulkar suggested Dhoni's name to the then Board of Control for Cricket in India president, Sharad Pawar.
Under Dhoni, India won, among others, the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, tri-series in Australia, Test series against Australia at home before recording their first ODI series win in New Zealand and first Test series there in 41 years.
Refusing to disclose much about his suggestion to Pawar to appoint Dhoni captain, Tendulkar said, "I spoke to the BCCI president but I would not want to discuss everything publicly. As I said earlier, it's my principle that whatever happens inside dressing room should stay there."
Tendulkar, however, did not hide his satisfaction about Dhoni living up to his expectations.
"Talking about his captaincy, I'm extremely happy and delighted the way he has conducted himself," Tendulkar said.
"He is a balanced guy, is always on his toes all the time. Before he was made the captain, standing in the slips I interacted with him and picked lot of things which clearly indicated that he has a sharp brain, his approach was pretty clear and not complicated", Tendulkar said.
"I think he is doing a fantastic job," he said.
Incidentally, Tendulkar himself struggled whenever he was saddled with captaincy.
Asked if he would love to have another go at it, the Mumbai run-machine was almost indignant.
"Now what kind of question it is?" he asked.
"The team is doing so well (under Dhoni) and you should be proud of it," he admonished the person posing the query.
Tendulkar said he was rather happy playing mentor's role to younger players.
"To players like Harbhajan Singh or Yuvraj Singh, I'm like their elder brother. I share information not just with them but also with other members of the side. It's a terrific atmosphere in the dressing room and it's not just a one-way traffic," he said.
"We learn from each other and if someone has some issues, there is the coach. Generally it's a great atmosphere and I enjoy being part of this side," he added.
