Sachin Tendulkar became world's best batsman with K Srikanth's help: L Sivaramakrishnan

Former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in 1989 as a 16-year old. He played his first match under the leadership of Kris Srikanth and went on to have a 24-year journey in international cricket. Cricketer-turned-commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan recently stated that even though Kris Srikanth captained India only in four Tests and 13 ODIs between 1989 and 1990, the former opening batsman had what it took to be given a long haul. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan also credited Srikanth for helping a young Sachin Tendulkar early on his career.

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Laxman Sivaramakrishnan says proactive Kris Srikanth helped Sachin Tendulkar

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan recently interacted on Star Sports Tamil Cricket Connected Show. In the show, he praised former Indian captain and co-incidentally his ex-Tamil Nadu teammate, Kris Srikanth by saying that he was an “aggressive captain” who was “proactive” and provided a lot of results. Sivaramakrishnan believed that Sachin Tendulkar was given much encouragement on his debut by Kris Srikanth, thus prompting the ‘Master Blaster’ to become the “world’s best batsman”. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan then claimed that Kris Srikanth should have captained India more due to his inspiring capabilities.

Many years later, K Srikanth was appointed as the Indian team's chief selector, working amicably with Tendulkar then as well and playing some role in a smooth transition by the time the batting legend retired from the sport in 2013.

Interestingly, Sachin Tendulkar’s debut Test also turned out to be Kapil Dev’s 100th Test match. Kapil Dev himself was a successful captain of the Indian team who led the national side to victory at the 1983 World Cup, which included Srikanth as well, who is remembered for top-scoring for India in the final with a gritty knock of 38 in a low-scoring match. 

Dev stayed teammates with Sachin Tendulkar up until his retirement in 1994. While Kapil Dev first shared the dressing room with Tendulkar in 1989, the two had already interacted with each other a year earlier in Mumbai.

In the Season 6 of Breakfast with Champions, Kapil Dev recalled the time in 1988 when he first stumbled upon to Sachin Tendulkar. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain said that he was in Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium for a training session where he bowled to a young 15-year old kid named Sachin Tendulkar in the nets. Kapil Dev recalled that he was left amazed by the child prodigy after seeing the way the youngster tackled his deliveries. In the interview, he further described Sachin Tendulkar as a “far better” talent than what his batting records already suggest.

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Laxman Sivaramakrishnan’s CSK stint and BCCI’s stance on IPL 2020

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan played his last match in 1986 and took to commentary in 2000. He is known for his expert opinions live on air during Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. Moreover, he was also appointed as the spin bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the IPL 2018 season. In terms of CSK in the upcoming season, the much-awaited IPL 2020 was intended to launch on March 29. However, the ongoing coronavirus crisis and India lockdown forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to indefinitely postpone the tournament.

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Image credits: ICC Twitter