No compromise on contracts: Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar today 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 become the number one. I don't make any compromises on contracts. They should match my expectations," he told a press conference after being appointed as the global brand ambassador for Canon, Japanese photographic and digital imaging solutions company. Tendulkar said he did not bother about the 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 only the second sportsperson who will be endorsing Canon products after Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova, but the two 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.