Gilchrist call up Tendulkar to clarify his remarks

New Delhi, Oct 24 (UNI) After Adam Gilchrist's remarks over Sachin Tendulkar's honesty on the famous ''Monkeygate'' issue prompted angry reactions from Indian cricketing fraternity, the master blaster today said the Australian called him up to clarify the whole issue and added that the matter was blown out of proportion.

''Gilchrist called me up and clarified the whole matter,'' Tendulkar told Times Now in Pune.

''He said his comments have been taken out of context,'' he said while refusing to comment any further on the issue.

The former Australian vice-captain had said that Tendulkar first told the hearing that he could not hear anything that happened between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh.

But he added that Tendulkar later came to say that he did hear Harbhajan saying something to Symonds in Hindi which sounded like ''Monkey''.

Gilchrist also assured the batting maestro that he will soon issue a clarification on this issue.

Gilchrist had called Sachin Tendulkar with names like a ''liar'', ''dishonest'', ''sore loser'' and a ''bad sport'' in his soon-to-be published autobiography ''True Colors of My Life''.

He had also written about Tendulkar in his autobiography that, ''it was hard to find for a changing room handshake after we have beaten India.'' Meanwhile, Australian opener Matthew Hayden when reminded about Gilchrist's comments, he said all the players from India and Australia have moved on from the acrimonious Sydney Test and the two teams share a great raport between themselves.

''I every one has moved on from that episode and so far the two teams have played the two Tests with great spirits,'' he told mediapersons here last night.

Hayden, who had once described Harbhajan Singh as an ''obnoxious little weed'', said he was impressed with the Indian off-spinner and has great regards for him now.

''He is star especially with the way he has come back and played the whole series with such high spirits.

''In fact he has been playing well too. It has been very difficult to play him so far in the series,'' he added.

The BCCI finanace committee chairman Rajiv Shukla also took a dig at Gilchrist and said the former Australian batsman should have thought atleat twice before saying something against a player of Tendulkar's stature.

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