If Sachin is not unwilling, where is the captaincy problem?

There is unanimity among the selectors and experts that Tendulkar should be given another chance to lead the team. The reasoning is simple. There is no player taller than him and no one else who commands as much respect. At the same time the air is thick with rumours that Tendulkar has said “no” to the job and because of that reason alone, Ajay Jadeja, might be given the reins of the team. It might even seem by default.

But one thing needs to be borne in mind. At no point of time has Tendulkar gone on record saying he is not interested in getting back the captaincy. In fact, from all counts, it isbecoming clear that Tendulkar is willing to wear the thorny crown once more. Tendulkar himself refuses to be drawn into this controversy and is waiting for the selectors to take the decision.

It is learnt that he will be meeting the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Wadekar, before July 28, when the captaincy for the coming season is to be decided in Nagpur. Clearly, the selctors need to know his mind before deciding on the issue and going public.

Tendulkar has had bitter experiences when he was the captain of the team for one year before the reins were handed back to Azharuddin. Though he has consistently denied that pressures of captaincy made his batting less dominant, at times he was evidently weighed down by the problems of handling the Indian team.

But his bitterness stems probably more from the fact that the then selection committee — Shivlal Yadav is the only surviving member of that committee — never really allowed him a free hand. Even his own batting order had become a tool in thehands of the selectors.

He was young then. Today, two years later, he is more mature and feels the need to have an assurance — that he will have greater freedom and a longer tenure in the slot — before saying yes to the job.

The selectors may have been toying with the idea of elevating Jadeja as the captain: the logic being that since India are playing a series of one-day events — Triangular in Sri Lanka, (August), tri-nation in Singapore (September first week), possibly Sahara Cup (mid September) and the four-nation tournament event in Kenya (late September-October — the problem of Jadeja not fitting into a Test side does not arise, at least for the time being. But that is deferring a problem and not solving it.

That is why the selectors are keen to know Tendulkar’s mind. And when the man himself has never said he is `unwilling to lead’ where is the problem? May be the problem is the continued presence of Azharuddin. But isn’t it time for him to go?