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- By Gurmeet Batra
- Thu, 05 Feb 2026 07:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
It was the 2001 South Africa tour, and the cricketing world was buzzing with the presence of the Indian cricket team. The second Test at Port Elizabeth was underway, with India on the back foot, trailing by 254 runs on the fourth day.
It was then that the unthinkable happened – Sachin Tendulkar, the Master Blaster, was charged with ball tampering.
A Accusation That Shocked The Cricket World
The incident left the cricketing world stunned. The match referee, Mike Denness, held Tendulkar guilty, slapping a one-Test ban on him. The reaction was a mix of shock and anger, with many wondering about the harshness of the punishment.
India Protests, ICC Intervenes
As Tendulkar walked out of the field, a sense of shock hung in the air. The protest by the Indian cricket team and the subsequent fine imposed on the SA team by the ICC for slow over-rate only added fuel to the fire. The controversy dominated the proceedings, as SA won the match by 9 wickets.
The incident is still remembered, with many questions still being asked about the spirit of the game and the thin line between gamesmanship and cheating. For Tendulkar, it was a rare moment of weakness, one that he would always look back upon with a disdain.