Controversies of sachin tendulkar 

Mike Denness incident

Mike Denness incident

Main article: Mike Denness and Indian cricket team incident

In India's 2001 tour of South Africa in the second test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth match referee Mike Denness fined four Indian players for excessive appealing as well as the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly for not controlling his team.^[156] Tendulkar was given a suspended ban of one game by Mike Denness in light of alleged ball tampering. Television cameras picked up images that suggested Tendulkar may have been involved in cleaning the seam of the cricket ball.^[157]This can, under some conditions, amount to altering the condition of the ball. The match referee Mike Denness found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering charges and handed him a one Test match ban.^[158] The incident escalated to include allegations of racism,^[159] and led to Mike Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third test match. The ICC revoked the status of the match as a Test as the teams rejected the appointed referee.^[160] The charges against Tendulkar and Sehwag's ban for excessive appealing triggered a massive backlash from the Indian public.^[161]