I am a cricketer, not a politician: Sachin Tendulkar

Speaking for the first time since his nomination to the Rajya Sabha, Sachin Tendulkar at a function in Pune said today that though the Rajya Sabha nomination came like a ‘bouncer’, it was indeed an honour for him. Sachin is being felicitated in Pune today for becoming the first man in the history of cricket to score 100 international centuries. “It’s an honour when the President nominates your name. Many greats like Lataji and Prithviraj Kapoor have been nominated in the past and I was excited to be nominated,” Sachin said. [caption id=“attachment_294310” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“AFP”]  [/caption] The Little Master also said that he has been nominated because he has represented India for 22 years, and said that he hopes to contribute towards the development of sports in India as that is his field of expertise. Sachin also clarified that he had no intentions of joining politics. He said he was a sportsman and will always remain one as whatever he has achieved in his life is because of cricket. “I am not a politician, I am a sportsman and will always remain a sportsman,” he said. Sachin is the first sportsperson ever to make it to the Rajya Sabha as a member nominated by the President of India. When he was asked how he handled so much of glory and criticism, Sachin said he “learnt it from his family”. “It was an unwritten rule in the house. You can’t bring back what has happened, formula was just move ahead in life. Nobody would get carried away with good performances,” he said. The 39-year-old acknowledged that he was honoured for his outstanding contribution to cricket and said he will try his best to improve the standard of all sports in the country. “I would definitely like to contribute in the field of sports because that is my expertise and I will need your help.” Tendulkar, who was also made Group Captain in the Indian Air Force in 2010, was nominated by the government for a seat in the upper house of parliament last week alongside actress Rekha and industrialist Anu Aga.