Fear of Indian backlash prompted Gilly to call Sachin

Sydney, Oct 28 (IANS) Adam Gilchrist said he was prompt in clearing things with Sachin Tendulkar over the controversial comments about the Indian maestro in his autobiography 'True Colours' as he feared a backlash in the sub-continent.

Gilchrist reportedly had called Sachin a 'liar' and a 'bad sport', that caused a furore in India, where Australia is playing four-Test series against the hosts.

The former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman later phoned Tendulkar to clarify the matter.

'I just wanted to talk to him and say what I'd written, because I just know how big a story that was becoming - particularly in such a passionate country as India where they love their cricket and their superstars - and he was fantastic and fully understood', Gilchrist was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.

'I just tried to explain to him the context in which my comments were written in the book. When you just grab little snippets out of the book, it can be taken out of context a little bit,'added Gilchrist, who is the captain of Deccan Chargers in Indian Premier League (IPL).