Selling books....

For a period of time just before his book was launched Marcus Trescothick was in the news for apparently sucking mints while playing in the 2005 Ashes because they would help swing the ball when mixed with his saliva. No dramatic shocks there but it catapulted Trescothick to number 22 in the Zoo Australia poll of most hated people on the planet, two places ahead of George W Bush.

This time it's Adam Gilchrist with a book to sell. The big news when I was in India last week was that he's claimed that Sachin Tendulkar changed his story in the "monkeygate" hearing and that he was often hard to find for a handshake after games. This has of course provoked a furious reaction in India where Tendulkar is a national hero and that week also became the highest Test run scorer in the history of the game. He's also, as Michael Atherton noted recently, a paragon of virtue.

Apart from realising that we should ignore anything anyone says in the lead up to their book being published (and be sceptical about the quality of the book as it's clearly not good enough to sell itself), what should be made of Gilchrist's comments? The first point about Tendulkar initially saying he couldn't hear anything and then changing his mind and saying he heard a Hindi word sounding like monkey is fact, isn't it? I believe that was recorded at the time for ever more - if that's not the case someone please correct me! The second point about Tendulkar not being around to shake hands is the one that particularly got people's backs up, especially when this clip shows his as the first of the off-field India players to shake hands with the Aussies who spent a lot of time whooping and cheering in the centre of the pitch.

So it's 1-1 in that Gilchrist's comments about Tendulkar's change of mind in the monkeygate hearing shouldn't have been vilified, but his comments about Tendulkar not shaking hands appear wrong on the basis of TV evidence after the close Sydney game, and the evidence of many many opposition players over the years.

The Aussies will be hoping that it's 1-1 on the pitch too after the up coming 3rd Test.