Cricket fans troll British Airways over Sachin Tendulkar row

British Airways incurred the wrath of Indian cricket fans over cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar had tweeted at the airline, complaining about poor service and what he referred to as a "don't care" attitude by staff.

The airline responded, apologising for the inconvenience and asking him for his full name and address, inviting the ire of the cricket fans.

Indian fans are livid British Airways did not know Tendulkar, and declared social media war on the company.

The reactions to the tweet from Indians have bordered on the hysterical, with some people even going so far as to call upon Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call off his UK tour.

British Airways is currently the top trend on Twitter India, with even politicians like the former chief minister of Kashmir getting into the act.

Indians are particularly sensitive over Tendulkar - widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen the sport has ever seen - and often refer to him as "God".

There are even temples that are dedicated to him - one village in the northern state of Bihar made headlines after they erected a life-size white marble statue of the cricketer "amid the chanting of Vedic prayers" and a religious pandal was once dedicated to him during Kolkata's most holy festival.

Special "puja" or prayer ceremonies would often be held for him ahead of matches where India was due to play.

When he retired in 2013, people travelled to Mumbai from across the country to watch his final test match, with emotions running high.

(BBC)

Caption: Sachin Tendulkar

Photo: BBC