Sachin Tendulkar responds to Twitter user asking 'how can we be sure that you're real?'

Sachin Tendulkar (Pic: AFP)

What do cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan have in common? As of today, both are no longer verified on Twitter. The micro-blogging site began removing the once-coveted blue tick verification from thousands of accounts on Thursday. The move comes as owner Elon Musk attempts to overhaul the social media company for profit.

During an online question and answer session #AskSachin with fans on the platform, an user asked the legendary opener how one would identify which is his genuine official account, to which Sachin quote-tweeted saying, "As of now, this is my blue tick verification!"

Top India sports stars, including Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and double Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu, have lost the blue checkmarks that helped verify their identity on the social media giant. The legacy blue checkmarks were previously granted to journalists, public officials, and celebrities for free as a measure against impersonation and spam on the social media platform.Twitter, which was taken over by business magnate and Tesla CEO Elon Musk last year, however, removed the blue ticks from accounts that don't pay a monthly subscription for the service on Thursday. "Tomorrow, 4/20, we are removing legacy verified checkmarks," the official Twitter Verified account had tweeted on Wednesday.

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Apart from the above trio, World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal, Neeraj Chopra and Bajrang Punia, wrestler Vinesh Phogat, two-time World Boxing Champion Nikhat Zareen, Sania Mirza, Indian football team skipper Sunil Chhetri, men's hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh were among a plethora of Indian sporting icons who have lost their blue ticks. Tennis great Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe and basketball legend Stephen Curry are also no longer 'verified' on the social media platform.

From now on, only individuals and organisations that pay for the premium Twitter Blue subscription will get the verified credential on their profiles. The Twitter Blue subscription is available for a monthly fee of Rs 650 on the web and Rs 900 on mobile devices.

(With PTI inputs)