How Sachin Tendulkar's Ball Tampering Controversy Shook the Cricketing World

During the match, the South African team complained to the match referee, Mike Denness, that Tendulkar had tampered with the ball. The allegations were based on the fact that Tendulkar was seen cleaning the seam of the ball during the match. The match referee, after reviewing the footage, found Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering and imposed a one-match ban on him.

The decision of the match referee was met with widespread criticism, not only in India but also in other cricket-playing nations. The Indian cricket board, BCCI, was quick to react and lodged a protest against the decision. The BCCI also threatened to call off the remaining matches of the series if the ban on Tendulkar was not lifted.The controversy took a political turn when the Indian government got involved in the matter. The then Sports Minister, Uma Bharti, criticised the decision of the match referee and called it biassed. The Indian government also threatened to sever cricketing ties with South Africa if the ban on Tendulkar was not lifted

The controversy finally came to an end when the International Cricket Council (ICC) intervened and overturned the decision of the match referee. The ICC found no evidence of ball tampering against Tendulkar and lifted the ban on him. The incident, however, left a bitter taste in the mouths of cricket fans and players alike.