Chappell claims asking Tendulkar to bat 'down the order' led to strained relations between them

Making a stunning revelation, former India coach Greg Chappell has claimed that relations with legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar got strained after the ex-Australian skipper had asked him to bat 'down the order' during the 2007 World Cup.

Chappell said that he thought that Tendulkar would want to do what was right for the team, but claimed that the batting maestro really wanted to bat where he wanted to bat and that was a real gulf between them, News.com.au reported.

Recalling the 2007 Caribbean World Cup, Chappell said that Tendulkar preferred to open the batting but in the World Cup they needed him to bat down the order, adding that that was where their problems started.

Claiming that the legendary batsman had initially agreed to the proposal, Chappell revealed that Tendulkar later recanted, saying that he didn't want to do it, the report added.

Chappell, who coached Indian team from 2005 to 2007, admitted that he subsequently forced him to do it and from that point onwards he didn't want to work with him again.