New Delhi: Former Australian wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist has slammed international cricket's highest run-getter Sachin Tendulkar of not being gracious in defeat in his autobiography True Colours.
Gilchrist says that Tendulkar shirks from a handshake if he ends on the losing side.
Describing the dramatic final moments on the final day of the Sydney Test, which India lost narrowly, Gilchrist says: "We went into the Indian changing room and shook hands. Not all their players could be found, which points to another subtle cultural difference. In the Australian mentality, we play it hard and are then quick to shake hands and leave it all on the field. Some of our opponents don't do it that way. Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, can be hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India. Harbhajan can also be hard to find."
Gilchrist's views make it clear that he isn't a fan of Tendulkar, who has been a hugely admired figure in Australia ever since he first played in the country as a teenager in 1991-92.
Gilchrist not only accuses Tendulkar of being a bad sport, but also goes on to criticise his role in the 'monkeygate' scandal involving Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds earlier this year in Australia.
He blames Tendulkar for not sticking by his story about the episode. At the first hearing Tendulkar claimed he hadn't heard what Harbhajan had said and during the second he supported his teammate’s version that he had used a Hindi swear word that sounded similar to monkey.
"Tendulkar, who'd said at the first hearing that he hadn't been able to hear what Harbhajan had said - and he was a fair way away, up the other end, so I'm certain he was telling the truth - now supported Harbhajan's version that he hadn't called Symo a 'monkey' but instead a Hindi term of abuse that might sound like 'monkey' to Australian ears," Gilchrist writes.
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His charges against Tendulkar are likely to fuel the already acrimonious relations between the two cricketing superpowers. Australia are currently in India playing a four-match Test series an have lost the second Test at Mohali by India 320 runs to trail 0-1 in the series.
A major portion True Colours, an extract of which appears in Friday's Good Weekend, revolves around India's 2007-08 tour to Australia which saw one of the most acrimonious on and off the field exchanges between the players of the two teams.
While Harbhajan and Symonds were involved in the monkeygate controversy, the Test match at Sydney which Australia won was marred by charges of gamesmanship and poor umpiring.
The tour was almost on the verge of being called off before better sense prevailed.
He also accuses the Board of Control for Cricket in India of "playing politics" on monkeygate and blames Cricket Australia and the ICC of "caving in" when original charge of racism against Harbhajan was downgraded and his suspension lifted.
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