Great expectations brought to you by Sachin

It is not fashionable to criticise Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar these days. Not that it was easy even when boys half his age were getting through his gates. But, even the residues of blasphemy that lay buried in the stone-hearted critics of his deteriorating form and reflexes would have been wiped clean by that heartrending farewell the nation have him on Saturday and the emotional bye-bye speech he gave the nation.

But, I have been nursing a grievance which he has not done much to address. It is not about his bat or his elbow.

His flight from middle class Bandra East over the busy Mumbai Western Railway tracks to the superstar-infested Bandra West may have been powered by his run-hungry blade, but he reached there riding on brand endorsements and television commercials.

Tendulkar chose his breathtaking strokes almost by instinct. But, did he choose his sponsors with care?

Somewhere last year, he appeared in a Sahara Q shop commercial which showed him performing last rites alongwith other team India members. The ad received flak for poor conceptualisation and complaints were made to BCCI to get it pulled off.

The point was not about the taste or aesthetics. The commercial first surfaced after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had taken stringent action against the so-called Sahara India Parivar for raising money illegally.

Sebi has in public advertisements advised people not to invest in Q shop. But, top cricketers, including the man they call God, continued to peddle Q shop. In March, Himachal Pradesh high court had issued orders against Q shop. Last month, Sebi had told the Allahabad High Court that it was probing Q shop for illegal activities. In June, the Uttarakhand government lodged complaints for misleading Q-shop advertisements.

How has the man reacted to this? Can he afford to feign ignorance? Has he questioned BCCI or Sahara?

Sahara is not an isolated case. The man with the straight bat had shot a commercial for another questionable venture called Home Trade, a decade ago. The BCCI-run Indian Premier League is a hotbed of such entities seeking legitimacy. This year's version saw the head of an entity banned by Sebi giving away prizes in the podium. Rose Valley has since seen further setbacks.

The latest to surface is the case of LR Active. It is a brand owned by Lotus Refineries, a borrower of troubled National Spot Exchange. The company's now arrested chief is seen handing over prizes at a post-match conference to Dhoni.

In this cricket mad-country, does an advertisement by Sebi or even an order stand any chance against the brand equity of 'gods'?

One hopes the master blaster would continue to be associated with cricket. My wish is that he gets into administration and sends these bad balls to where they belong: Outside the park.

Maybe we are expecting too much of him. But, then, is he not used to it?

Won't he oblige us nine times out of 10?