Sachin Tendulkar opens up on ‘disrespectful’ ad post ‘Sandstorm’ innings
Sachin Tendulkar (Image Credit: Twitter)
World Cricket great, Sachin Tendulkar holds so many records which every cricketer wants to break but not many can do. He is still the all-time highest run-getter in the Test and ODI formats. Also, he is still the all-time highest number of centuries across formats. Meanwhile, his ODI century against Australia in 1998 is regarded as one of his greatest innings from him.
Notably, it came after the Sandstorm in Sharjah with the Men In Blue needed a required amount of runs to book a place in the final. Meanwhile, post that innings, he was offered an advertisement that he terms ‘disrespectful’ to the game. Apparently, he was offered an ad in which he faced the bowling from fly swatter and the right-hander had to hit out of the park. The 2011 World Cup winner, in turn, revealed that he turned down the offer.
“It happened in 1998 after the desert storm tour in Sharjah. We came back and one of the sponsors wanted to shoot an ad where cricket balls were coming at me and with a fly swatter, I’m hitting them outside the stadium. So, I turned down the ad, I said you have to change the script because this is disrespecting my sport and I worship my sport. I will not be shooting for this ad,” Tendulkar revealed during a chat in an event organised by Infosys.
I wouldn’t have been able to go back to my coach: Sachin Tendulkar
The 200 Test veteran further added that the advertisers, fortunately, changed the script. He also said that if he had shot the original advert, he would have been able to go back home or even to his coach.
“Fortunately, they did (change the script). I don’t think that after shooting that ad, I would have been able to go back home or even go back to my coach. That wasn’t something they had taught me. They had inculcated right values and I stand by those values,” Tendulkar further said.
