The government of Switzerland [ Images ] and the National Basketball Association of US have approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India [ Images ] for using Sachin Tendulkar [ Images ] and some other top Indian cricketers for furthering social causes through advertisements.

"The Swiss government approached us and wanted Sachin to do an ad with [world's number one men's tennis player] Roger Federer [ Images ] for a social cause. Sachin was thrilled and agreed to it immediately", said BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty in Mumbai [ Images ].

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"The NBA has also approached us and wants to utilise our players' services for furthering social causes," Shetty added on the sidelines of a media conference on Tuesday night to announce Boost Under-17 Cricket Cup tournament for school children.

"We, in the Mumbai Cricket Association [of which Shetty is the treasurer], had taken a policy not to allow juniors to play limited overs cricket but have relaxed it for this tournament since it's to be run on an all-India basis and we did not want Mumbai schools to be denied an opportunity to become all-India champions," Shetty said.

"In fact the BCCI has decided to scrap some junior age group tournaments and conduct a schools tournament instead. The board wants to hold events for only under-16 and under-19 age groups instead of for under-15, 17 and 19 as at present," he explained.