Sachin offered Test, ODI captaincy

SACHIN TENDULKAR will take over as the skipper of both the Test and the One-Day team.

According to sources, the selection committee has already spoken to Tendulkar and the Little Master has agreed to lead the Indian team although he will take another two days to give his final word.

Tendulkar has told the selection committee that he is willing to lead the Test and One-Day team once again but he should be appointed the captain on a series to series basis.

India Twenty20 skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be Tendulkar's deputy in both the teams, the sources added.

The post of the Indian Test and One-Day skipper fell vacant after Rahul Dravid decided to call it quits.

In a press release issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday, Dravid was quoted as saying that he now "wanted to concentrate on his game and did not want to take the additional pressure of leading the side".

Dravid had already spoken to the BCCI President Sharad Pawar on Thursday in New Delhi about his decision to step down.

The selection committee will meet on September 18 to name the team for the upcoming One-Day series against Australia and are also expected to formally announce Tendulkar's appointment as the skipper of the team.

Tendulkar has led the Indian team twice in the past and was not very successful but the thinking in the BCCI and the selection committee is that given the turmoil that Indian cricket finds itself after Dravid's 'I Quit' call, only a senior and experienced hand should be given the responsibility.

Tendulkar has already led India in 25 Tests winning four, drawing nine and losing 12. In the ODIs, too, he does not have a great captaincy record.

Out of the 73 matches that Tendulkar led India in, the team lost 43, winning 23 other matches while six ended without a result with one tie.

COLLECTED BY: RISHI KAPOOR