Gilchrist's comments only a marketing strategy: Vengsarkar

New Delhi, Oct 24 (UNI) Former Indian chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar today lamented the retired Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist's remarks on Sachin Tendulkar's honesty in his autobiography as a move to publicise his book.

''In countries like Australia and England people earn huge money with their books and autobiographies,'' Vengsarkar told Times Now.

''It's a marketing strategy that Adam Gilchrist has adopted to sell his book. But it's a very unfortunate move that he has taken,'' he added.

Vengsarkar further added that even he was attacked with such remarks during his playing days former West Indies pacer Malcom Marshell's book had potrayed him a wrong way.

''In 1980s, even I had to face the same situation when a book on Malcom Marshall had written something against me and the reports were comepletely baseless,'' he recalled.

In his autobiography, Gilchrist had questioned Sachin Tendulkar's integrity over the famous 'Monkeygate' controversy during the Sydney Test earlier this year.

The former Australian vice-captain said Tendulkar had initially told the hearing that he was unable to hear anything on ground that happened between Harbhajan and Andrew Symonds.

However, later he said Harbhajan did say something to Symonds in Hindi.

''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 wrote in autobiography.

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