There is trouble brewing within team India over ad featuring Harbhajan Singh and skipper M.S. Dhoni.
It has been reported that a notice was sent to Vijay Mallya's UB spirit over a commercial for Mc Dowell's No.1 Platinum featuring Dhoni which the notice claims - insult Bhajji and Sikks around the world. The notice was sent by Avtar Kaur, Bhajji's mother to project that it is not about Bhaji vs Dhoni, but Bhajji's family vs UB group.
Dhoni's ad, according to Ms. Khaur's representatives mocks Harbhajan's role in a commercial for rival Ternod Ricard's Royal Stag.
Mc Dowell's No. 1 Platinum and Royal Stag are rivals. The ads have been masked for promotional material for soda as liquor advertisement is banned iun India.
Harbhajan and Dhoni were being managed by same agents last year for a few months - Rhiti Sports and Mindscapes One venture. The marketing president of that company Shangeet Shirodkar quit from the partnership only a few months after it was forged, and took his close friend Harbhajan Singh and started his own company.
"Harbhajan and dhoni are still the best of friends. The notice has been issued by Bhajji's mother, and not Harbhajan. The ad has hurt Bhaji, his family and Sikk's community's feelings," Sangeet said.
"You can't pit two cricketers against each other - they have played together for so many years and have won India the World Cup. We can't let someone take a dig and go unpunished," he added.
The notice has been issued to UB executive vice chairman SR Gupte, president & CFO Ravi Nedungadi, deputy president Harish Bhat and executive vp (Corporate Affairs) Nandini Verma. Bhajji's family want a compensation of Rs 1,00,000 towards the cost of the notice and immediate removal of ad and public apology in every leading newspaper.