Warne-Sachin relationship took a hit because of US exhibition
New Delhi, Nov. 8: Their mutual respect even during epic on-field face-offs is well-documented but Shane Warne has claimed that his relations with Sachin Tendulkar took a hit in 2015-16 — reason being difference of opinion on the organisation of exhibition matches in the United States.
In his recently-released autobiography No Spin, Warne recalled how a concept that he and Tendulkar thought of making an annual affair failed to take off after the first edition due to their differences on its management. Tendulkar declined comment on the issue when reached out to his team for a response.
The Legends Exhibition matches were held in New York, Houston and Los Angeles in 2015 with most of the top former players in the world taking part, including the likes of Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath and Sourav Ganguly among others. While Warne, in his book, made it clear that Tendulkar took care of all the expenses of the tournament, he was not impressed with the people that the Indian batting icon brought on board to manage the event.
“Sachin had this guy there, Sanjay, who was very much a mentor and business advisor. I explained my concept and gave them a slide show. They loved it and flew in a guy called Ben Sturner from America. Sachin was adamant that his team of people run the whole thing,” Warne wrote in his book. Sturner is the CEO of a sports entertainment management company but the identity of Sanjay is not clear.
He goes on to write: “I said, ‘Well it’s my idea. I know I can get the best players and I am prepared to go 50-50 with you. I suggest we pay experienced people to organise it and appoint two from each of our camps’. Sachin said, “No I have to have Sanjay and
Ben.” — PTI