IPL spot-fixing: Sachin is hurt when cricket is in the news for wrong reasons

After two weeks of silence from the eternal greats of the gentlemen's game, we finally have the legends speaking out on the entire IPL scandal. On Friday, it was none other than the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who raised his voice over the fiasco. Sachin said that the developments over the past two weeks wereA "shocking and disappointing" and the faith reposed by the millions of fans in the game should be justified. Tendulkar said the authorities must take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue and ensure that credibility of the game is restored.

The legendary batsman recently retired from the IPL after his side Mumbai Indians won the title. Sachin said as a cricketer he has always learnt to play in the true spirit of the game. "It has always hurt me when the game of cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons. The developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing. As cricketers we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game," Tendulkar said in a statement. He also noted that it was important that the authorities get to the root of the problem. "During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer, from the boys in the 'maidans' across the country to those who represent clubs, states and the nation, who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue." "The faith reposed by the millions of fans should be justified and we owe it to them to ensure that Indian cricket is all about pride and joy," the statement added. Tendulkar's statement on the spot-fixing scandal assumes great importance since none of the current Indian cricketers have spoken on the issue, since it broke out about two weeks ago.