Sachin Tendulkar on Monday rubbished media reports suggesting that he had lost a lucrative endorsement deal with a mobile telephone service provider, saying he had refused to compromise on their new contract.
MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar on Monday rubbished media reports suggesting that he had lost a lucrative endorsement deal with a mobile telephone service provider, saying he had refused to compromise on their new contract.
"I had a three-year contract with Airtel which has ended. During my association the brand has risen to become the number one. I don't make any compromises on contracts. They should match my expectations," he told a press conference after being launched as the global brand ambassador for Japanese photographic and digital imaging solutions company Canon.
Tendulkar said he did not concern himself on possible conflict of sponsors' interest vis-a-vis the Indian Cricket Board or the International Cricket Council and preferred to leave it to his agents to deal with it.
"My agents are there to deal with these things. My job is to play cricket and not concentrate on other things," he said.
Tendulkar is the second sportsperson to endorse Canon products after Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova but the two great sporting personalities are unlikely to figure jointly in promoting the company's products at present, company's Singapore branch President and CEO Kazuto Ogawa said.
"With Sachin we are going to focus mainly on the Indian market. Depending upon the popularity of cricket we may consider expanding it. But at present there's no move to bring Sachin and Sharapova together (for brand promotions)," he said.
Tendulkar said he was a keen enthusiast of photography since childhood and had seen the TV cameras of the company, which he will start endorsing from the new year, since the time of his first international outing in Pakistan 17 years ago.
"I felt these cameras were like my guards. Nowadays, there are 20 or more cameras to capture on-field actions. I am definitely going to carry my camera on the South African tour, My family will also be with me," he said.
"One of my favourite photographs is the one taken at the Cape Town cricket ground with me in the middle and with the Table Mountain acting as a backdrop," he added.
Tendulkar was presented with a camera of latest model and digital copier by the company's officials while he gave them autographed bats after signing the deal.
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