Leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar has reacted angrily to suggestions that coach Greg Chappell has questioned the attitude of India's senior players after the team suffered a first-round exit at the World Cup.

"I've given my heart and my soul for 17 years. No coach had mentioned even in passing that my attitude was not correct," the 33-year-old batsman was quoted as saying in the Times of India newspaper on Wednesday.

"Cricket has been my life for all these years and will always be."

Local media on Tuesday quoted sources close to the India coach as saying that Chappell was to raise the issue of the attitude of top players at the national board's meeting later this week.

"Tell me, the world has gone on talking about all this (our defeat and exit) but has anybody spared a thought for us? Did they try to find out what we have been going through?" Tendulkar said.

"I am shattered beyond words and I feel helpless. I've never felt so bad in my entire career."

The 1983 winners crashed out in the first round of the event after losing two out of three group matches, to Bangladesh and former champions Sri Lanka.

Irate fans and a number of former players have called for the axe to fall on captain Rahul Dravid and Chappell, while senior players are also under fire.

Even Tendulkar may not escape the wrath of the cricket-crazy fans. A majority of the respondents to polls being conducted by private television channels want him to retire.

Darling of Indian households since making his debut as a curly-haired 16-year-old in 1989, Tendulkar flopped against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and managed only a half century against Bermuda.

"No matter how many tests or one-day series you win, nothing else even comes close to a World Cup triumph. The World Cup was our passion, our collective goal, our dream and that has been shattered. We all are terribly disappointed over it," he said.

"Again, it's not that we are defending ourselves. We do realise that we played badly and, as a team, we take full responsibility for that. But what hurt us most is if the coach has questioned our attitude."

The two-day board meeting, beginning on Friday, is expected to decide the future of several senior members of the World Cup team and coach Chappell.

Sachin Tendulkar's interview to The Times of India, in which he has castigated Team India coach Greg Chappell, has not gone down well with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, has had a tough time, replying to a volley of questions from all quarters, including from the media. Despite being busy and visibly tense, he found time to grant Contributing Cricket Correspondent Haresh Pandya an exclusive interview at the Saurashtra Cricket Association office in Rajkot on Wednesday.

Now that Sachin Tendulkar too has openly criticised Greg Chappell's attitude towards the Indian players, what will be the BCCI's stand in terms of renewing the Australian's contract as the national coach?

I have come to know that Tendulkar has come down hard on Chappell in a newspaper interview. However, the BCCI has not yet received any report from Chappell or heard anything from the player concerned.

How do you, as the BCCI secretary, view a senior player like Tendulkar going to the media and speak against the coach in no uncertain terms?

I strongly believe Tendulkar has not done the right thing by speaking to the media about Chappell rather than coming to the BCCI. It was not expected from the senior-most member of the Indian team. If he had any grievances, he should have approached the BCCI directly.

Don't you think Tendulkar must have had enough of Chappell and his alleged dictatorial attitude towards the players and hence he took such a step?

Whatever it is, I must reiterate that no player should voice their views like this in the media. We are always open to listen to any player regardless of whether he is a senior or junior member of the Indian team.

Don't you realise that Tendulkar has probably expressed both the anger and frustration of almost all members of the Indian team with the Australian?

I do not think so. I cannot further comment on this because we are yet to receive reports of the captain, the coach and the tour manager.

What will be BCCI's stand in the event of Chappell criticising Tendulkar and other players in his report? Will it go by the coach's report or listen to the players?

All this and much more will be discussed when the BCCI officials meet on April 6 and 7. We will discuss reports of the coach, the captain and the manager. It is too early to say any more.

But it is not necessary that the captain's report should also carry the feelings of each individual player. Maybe this is what has led Tendulkar to go to the media and express his feelings...

Obviously, we do not want every player to give us a report. Reports of the captain, the coach and the manager are enough. The rest of the players can always approach us. We will listen to them, including their grievances.

But it seems that most Indian players are not happy with Chappell. What is your personal opinion, should India continue with Chappell or go in for someone else?

Frankly, I do not want to comment on this. Let the BCCI Working Committee decide this.

But you have openly said that Rahul Dravid should be retained as captain irrespective of our shoddy show in the World Cup...

Yes, I have. And I still emphasise that Dravid must be retained as the captain. But, again, this is my personal view only and the selectors have every right to appoint anyone, including Dravid, who they think is the right man for the job.

In the event of Chappell's contract not getting renewed, will India go in for a foreign coach or fall back on an Indian one?

We will decide everything at the Working Committee meeting.

Don't you think Indian cricket is in a mess?

How can you say that? We may have been thrown out of the World Cup. But it is not the end of the world. Do not worry. Everything will be fine with Indian cricket. It is just a matter of time.