Indians tweet 'Who is Maria Sharapova?'

There is ex-England cricketer Andrew Strauss on the left. But who is that man standing up on the right?

Maria Sharapova may have been knocked out of Wimbledon, but in India she has hit the headlines with comments that are, for many Indians, akin to blasphemy.

At a post-match conference the French Open champion was asked whether she knew which stars had been watching her play from the Royal Box at Centre Court.

David Beckham was a "great guy" she said. But what about the other sportsman at the scene, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar?

She did not know who he was.

This is how Indians responded. #WhoisMariaSharapova is now trending worldwide.

Maria Sharapova must be an atheist

As Sachin Tendulkar is clearly a god, then there is one perfectly understandable reason why Maria Sharapova would not know who he is - she must be an atheist, many tweeted.

Forgive me, for I have sinned

Doctored images of Sharapova, picturing her hunched on the ground in apparent supplication in front of Tendulkar, made their rounds on the internet

One user @prasadvanjale urged God to "forgive her, for she doesn't know, what she is doing" ‏

What happens when Tendulkar's wife finds out?

Many Twitter users made light of the situation. Dhaval kalsariya ‏@geekydhaval tweets: "That awkward moment when Sachin's wife asks him, who is Maria Sharapova and why are you both trending together..."

Does Sachin appear more often than Sharapova on her Facebook page now?

Others got very angry. Thousands have posted on her Facebook page and this includes some abuse from outraged cricket fans. Many users have also taken to her page simply posting Sachin's name over and over and over and over again.

But do you know who India's vice-president is?

Many are quick to point out that one should not be too quick to target Maria Sharapova for not knowing who Sachin Tendulkar is.

One user, @sunilkakrania says in response "95 % of us Do not know the name of Vice President of India !!!"