Mahendra Singh Dhoni still feels shy to speak to his idol Sachin Tendulkar off the field but says his honest opinions on a cricket field about team strategy, including occasional differences of opinions with the veteran, might have landed him the India captaincy in 2007.

Dhoni said he used to have onfield discussion with Tendulkar on team strategy and would not mind disagreeing with his senior colleague even before he was made captain.

“Tendulkar is my sporting hero and because of the aura he carries, I still have difficulties speaking up to him outside a cricket field. But on field, I always give my honest inputs about team strategy,” Dhoni said.

“Tendulkar and I used to discuss team strategy on the field. If I am convinced I would even disagree with him and it happened quiet often. I think my honesty has paid dividends when he recommended me for captaincy. He might be thinking that I have learnt in quick time on different aspects of the game and team strategy,” he said.

“Even if I was not made the captain, it was a huge thing that Tendulkar had recommended my name for captaincy,” the Indian captain said at a book launch here on Wednesday.

Dhoni revealed that when he met Tendulkar for the first time more than 10 years back, he could not speak to him but ended up serving the veteran batsman drinks on the field.