Tendulkar reflects on India captaincy and South Africa title

Sachin Tendulkar led India in 25 Test matches between 1996 and 2000 and resigned after a series loss to South Africa in March 2000. He said he did not always have full freedom to select the team and described Indian cricket as going through a dark phase during his captaincy. Tendulkar noted the BCCI is now a far more professional organisation than it was in the 1990s. He praised Temba Bavuma for South Africa's 2025 World Test Championship win and said the title is great for world cricket. Tendulkar also joked that he enjoyed bowling to Lara, Ponting and others because he dismissed them all.