Never called Sachin a bad sport or liar, insists Gilchrist

New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Stung by a barrage of criticism,
retired Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist Saturday denied
calling Sachin Tendulkar a "bad sport" and a "liar" in his
upcoming autobiography, claiming that he was misinterpreted by
the media.

Gilchrist said all is well between him and Tendulkar
after he rang up the Indian batting maestro to explain how
excerpts from his autobiography had been quoted out of context
by newspapers. He said the conversation with Tendulkar has
left him a relieved man.

"There were headlines around the cricketing globe on
Friday suggesting that I had accused Indian batting great
Sachin Tendulkar of being a bad sport and also that he had
lied when giving evidence in the Harbhajan Singh racial
villification hearing earlier this year.

"Neither of these accusations are true and I felt
strongly enough on this to immediately ring Sachin once it was
brought to my attention, to explain to him. I am pleased to
say that at the conclusion of our chat, the same respect
Sachin and I have always had for each other continues to
exist," Gilchrist said.

Rattled by the furore that has virtually turned into a
backlash in India ever since the controversial excerpts came
out, Gilchrist said a couple of sentences from an entire
chapter were used to script a sensational story.

"The headlines arose from the manner in which some
journalists interpreted a couple of points I have made in an
about-to-be released autobiography," he said in a column for
'The Times of India'.

"In the book I mention that a cultural difference between
our team and that of the Indians was the importance of shaking
hands with the opposition after a loss. From my experience it
seemed this routine wasn't as important to some oppositions as
it was in Australia, where it is drilled into us from an early
age," Gilchrist explained.

The former stumper said he stood by his comments on
Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh being hard to find for a
handshake after a match, but this did not imply that he
considered them a bad sport.

He clarified that his comments were only aimed at
highlighting the cultural differences between the two sides.

"I made the comment that Sachin and Harbhajan were
sometimes not around to shake hands. Whether that is right or
wrong is not my point. It was more the cultural differences I
was trying to highlight, which it's fair to say, have been
integral in most disputes or flare-ups between these two proud
nations."

"Nowhere do I accuse Sachin of being bad sport," he said.

He is drawing flak for reopening the 'monkey-gate' saga
which has been set aside as a closed chapter by both the teams
but Gilchrist insisted that he merely "stated the facts" and
never called Tendulkar a liar as has been reported.

"...I obviously had to address it in the book as it was a
huge issue last summer and too big to ignore. That said, my
only reference to it was recall the way the events unfolded
from the initial hearing, the night the match finished,
through to the final judicial hearing a few weeks later,"
wrote Gilchrist.

"All I stated are the facts that everyone knows, that
initially Sachin had mentioned he wasn't sure what Harbhajan
had said, then later confirmed his support when Harbhajan said
he'd used a Hindi word in the heated exchange with Symonds.
Nowhere do I accuse Sachin of lying," said Gilchrist.

The celebrated keeper said he had the utmost respect for
Tendulkar.

"To have spoken directly with Sachin about there matters
was a great relief for me. I have always admired his amazing
cricketing ability and have spoken regularly about how I
believe he has set the finest example of how to handle fame
and the extraordinary public profile that comes with being an
Indian cricketing superstar."

Gilchrist hoped that his clarification on the matter
would put an end to the furore.

"I have always enjoyed touring here, and most importantly
have many strong friendships in India. For those reasons and
for my personal friendship with Sachin, I was most concerned
that a few off-the-mark headlines and interpretations of my
book could possibly sour these friendships.

"Thankfully that hasn't occurred and I look forward to
visiting these shores both as a cricketer and personally for
many years to come," he said. PTI P.M.
RKM