Chat with Sachin Tendulkar humbles Adam Gilchirst

Adam Gilchrist might have no qualms in suggesting that Sachin Tendulkar was "bad sport" but the retired Australian said he had a humbling feeling while speaking to the Indian batting maestro to clear the air after the furore raised by his book 'True Colours'.

The retired stumper had accused Tendulkar of changing his statement during the 'Monkey-gate' appeal hearing involving Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh but later called up the Indian maestro to tell him he was quoted out of context.

"When I was talking to him. A little voice in the back of my head was saying, 'Can you believe you're really on the phone to Sachin Tendulkar?' I mean this is one of the best cricketers of all time, someone I admire so much, and here I was talking to him on the phone," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist said he called up Tendulkar because of his nature of maintaining friendly rapport with those he had played with or against.

"I didn't have to call him. It's just that when I started playing cricket that was part of my approach. I wanted to get to know the people I played with and against. When I finished playing I wanted to be on friendly terms with them.

"Not so we were all on each other's email lists or anything like that, just so we got along. We've all got a common interest, we should be on good terms. Some people don't care about that, but I do.

"I wanted Sachin to know I'd been taken out of context. I wanted to explain," he told 'Sunday Courier'.