Tendulkar takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP

ya he can become PM lol and everyone can go gaga over cricket

@Sreelal_SS Dravid has never been a politician and never will be. Case closed!

@skepticaloptimist, good one there mate. Cheers! :-/)

Guys ..lets face it lol :D :D If Dravid s not given RS MP seat,Sachin s not 2 blame!!!! :P

one must admit ,apart from being - greatest singular icon our country has ever produced, sachin was the inspiration to the likes of sehwag, yuvraj and lot many.many of them have said previously ,that sachin was the main reason they followed and persued cricket.eventually these people along with sachin (and i am not forgetting dada,dravid,kumble,laxman here ) made INDIA NUMBER ONE IN BOTH TESTS AS WELL AS IN ONE DAYERS .

@skepticaloptimist : SPOT ON. While DG is generally a VERY sensible commenter, he has some sort of personal beef with Sachin. It can get irritating! One has to wonder why; is it because Rahul Dravid is a slightly inferior (But still very great) cricketer? Does it sting?

@Dravid_Gravitas, we have a good constitution but not a faultless one. As a matter of fact social outlook and priorities do change with time. What the constitution makers tried to convey in the rule was nomination of individuals making exceptional contribution to society at large. However, in the world of 1940's India, sports wasn't considered important enough and throughout the 50s and 60s sportspersons were continued to be neglected resulting into a poor sporting nation(and sportspersons often living in penury). Times have changed and it is a good trend that sportspersons are taken more serioulsy and are often bigger icons than politicians or artists. I think Sachin's nomination is a mix of opportunism and actual respect for his contribution. By this the spirit of constitution has not been violated as Sachin has contribution to society due to the good values he passes on to young generation. I feel Sachin and Vishy Anand deserve such recognition among Indian sportspersons.

hey all u people questioning if sachin is a good leader....rs membership is just not about leadership...its a platform for him where he can contribute to indian sports...stop whining about him being nominated.....think of it this way he wouldnot need the nomiation if he stands in elections...he would be unanimously elected wherever he contests in india PERIOD...PLZ PUBLISH...

Guys, let's face it. Because Sachin Tendulkar is involved in this deal, let's clarify the premises of whatever Dravid_Gravitas will say: 1) No matter whatever happens, it's Sachin's fault; 2) Needless to say, Sachin is selfish; 3) His achievements aren't actually his, as a matter of fact, he's hypnotized the entire world's population and therefore, everyone thinks he's achieved what he really hasn't; 4) one can emphasize his selfishness again, for there is so much of it. Now the premises are clear, let's venture into the real deal: whatever SRT does is wrong, he's selfish, and doesn't deserve anything. Period. Please publish.

First Sanath.. Now Sachin..It is Difficult to understand why a player whose already has a 100% commitment towards his sport is also trying to get involved in politics. The wise choice is to finish the sporting career & then get involved if its his passion to get into politics. Has it become a fashion. Whose NEXT??

hope sachin retires soon.how long can he play for india?he should have retired after 2011 wc.but he waited for his 100th century for so long.he got that century against bangladesh in a losing cause.he achieved everything in cricket but still he wants to play for india.dravid should have never retired.he was the only saviour for india.he scored hundreds against tough bowling unit in swinging condition.pls sachin and laxman retire from international cricket and give youngstres some chance.dravid has been made as scapegoat for poor performance by the indian team.people like badrinath,pujara and sharma will never get a chance to play for india until these two retires.india's test future looks very bleak at the moment

Given Sachin's popularity and reach, the Congress is trying to boost its image by nominating Sachin as the MP. However, it's a win-win situation for both!

I cannot believe the comparisons with Imran Khan. Tendulkar was arguably a slightly better cricketer than Imran, but even in cricket Imran was probably the best captain of the last forty years. But that's not what qualifies him to be an MP. What qualifies him to be an MP is that he built the top hospital in the country when the government wouldn't and couldn't. I'm not sure what comparable social achievements SRT has. And, of course, Imran had the foundation of having not just gone to a top school in Pakistan, but to a top school in England too, followed by Oxford University, which is why he can talk with authority about many global issues. I've never seen any evidence to suggest that Tendulkar has either the IQ Imran needed to get into Worcester Royal Grammar School and Oxford or the political knowledge Imran has.

When Aamir Khan speaks in his television show, everybody listens. When Sachin will speak in the parliament, everybody will listen. People like Aamir and Sachin are great icons and what's wrong in using your icon status for the betterment of society. People who are questioning his leadership skills, please go and read something about what's expected from a NOMINATED rajya-sabha candidate. Check WHO was nominated in the past. Do you think Lata Mangeshkar/Rekha/M F Hussain had exceptional leadership qualities??

Dravid_Gravitas Sachin is above those four fields..nobody has done it before..that is the reason he was nominated...Genius. do not need fields they make one..

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar -- The God of Cricket! :) -------------->nuff said..

@wiseshah you may be right, anyone who plays that many matches MIGHT make as many runs, but the point is nobody ever was ever able to last as much as him along with being so consistent.

@maddy20, Agree with you completely.

@wiseshah - True, if you play a lot of innings you will get a lot of runs but you can say that for lots of players. The devil is in the details. Take Murali vs Warne, by your premise Murali took more wickets than Warne because he bowled more balls-true. But with 3334 extra balls, he took 92 more wickets than Warne, a strike rate of 36 for the deficit! Far better than either player's career strike rate. Similar with Tendulkar vs Ponting, Sachin has scored 2124 more runs in 29 innings. For those extra 29 innings its an average of over 73 runs per innings. Longevity may mean you score more, but its what you do over the whole that counts. Tendulkar will always be remembered as one of the best batsman of all time, and not just because of his run totals.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar -- The God of Cricket! :)

anyone can make that much run if they play that many matches. any aussie could have done it. its nothing extra ordinary. think how many guys couldnt come into team because of him

they make him MP--so he can retire now. its an indication to sachin

For people who are questioning Sachin's credentials in literature, science, arts or social service, don't you people think that it is high time that the Govt of India recognised sports as a separate category? Apart from being an excellent PR machinery a proper sports industry has the scope of providing career opportunities to a lot of people directly and indirectly (including sports tourism). So in that case, what is the harm of making a start somewhere? And whether one likes it or not, Sachin may not be the greatest sportsman of India but he is Definitely the most popular and his achievements and the way he has carried himself for the last 22 years commands a certain degree of respect and attention as well. So when Sachin speaks one can be certain that the rest of the house will pay heed to it and the media will highlight the same.

I would have rather made Sunny Gavaskar the Mp for now, and maybe after his tenure ease Sachin into it, that way he would been well retired by then and could follow in the footsteps of his cricketing mentor also.....

wat a circus!-------------> nuff said

Sachin is clever.Knowing that his glory if gradually fading,he has made a timely move by shifting to politics.This will help him to be in the limelight for a longer period of time.However how it is going to help the masses is a question only time can answer. Hope he will not follow the same fate as Sanath Jayasuriya.

Great talent but not a good leader!

@Dravid_Gravitas special people are treated in special ways...Sachin certainly do not have the extensive knowledge in those four fields but he knows how to excel in the chosen field better than anyone else...and to me batting is no less than art.

@maddy20, dude you have no idea on who were those who were playing team politics, do you ? As @shankupals mentioned Sachin was never into that and was always supportive to whoever was Captian during this 2 decades. One ask Dravid's state mates like Srinath and Kumble on that and they will also say that Sachin has never indulged in that. And there is one person who is using Dravid's name in the handle and continuously posting senseless anti Sachin messages. This is very unfair to only Sachin but also to Dravid.

@ bismoy :: dravid gravitas dint even write about dravid..... how can u irrationally drag dravid in between..... it is a forum for sachin not dravid....and yes i agree with him that his contribution are not that great to be given a responsibility of a leader...he refused captaincy for team india sayin that he cant handle this position and he has accepted this RS nomination and agreed to represent at rajya sabha....and he is prolonging his career for no reason and eating up a place of one youngster who will anyhow get older by the time he retires...... i hope this gets published....

MP with the best hair style.. lol...i like that. Relax guyz, this is Rajya Sabha, the baap of all govt jobs. Nobody has to do anything AND even if they want to say nobody is there to listen. It will not make ANY DIFFERENCE, to him or for cricket or for India. It was a postion to be taken by somebody, giving it to sachin creates more drama and a chance for other politicians to get a photo with sachin who otherwise cant even come near his gate.

@Paras Rishi, We do understand, exactly as Imran khan means to us so SRT to you, wish him all the best. And I pray one day Imran khan comes to power and rid my country of its atrocious rulers. Ameen

Sachin has made it clear cricket is his priority,he has no intention of retiring anytime soon , and i have never seen him taking responsibility or leadership anytime on a cricket ground , he even avoided the press when he was struggling for his '100th 100' ! so what made our 'able' politicians think sachin is going to be a good RS member ? RAHUL DRAVID or ANIL KUMBLE would have been much better choice.. anyway good luck to him

CONGRATS!! I would expect Sachin to be ruthless and focussed in his thought process and directions for the BETTERMENT of other SPORTS in INDIA, like the way he used to face the GREAT BOWLERS of the past. JAI HIND

Sachin's Entry in Polictics ========= Sachin's exit from the Heart of Billion Cricket Fans!!!!

@ Dravid_Gravitas, you seriously think all the other MPs deserve to be there? You make me laugh. With sachin in MPs role, I will definitely be assured that he won't be getting involved in any CWG, 2G,Coalgate scams! I'm not a Sachin fan.

Politics.. Whoa.. Let's see If Sachin will be able to maintain his image he have right now.

Is this the end of Sachin's career?

I support Fahad Hameed's comments. We should not forget the hopes and dreams of the country being carried on the Master's shoulders for more than a dacade. Maybe, its about time the scope of nominating MP's for Rajya Sabha should be extended to Personality like "The Master". No Comments on his current form and age... etc.

Batting is an Art, Cricket skills is a life science and anything written about the Legend of Sachin Tendulkar becomes the most read thing among 1.2 billion people of this country.

@Dravid_Gravitas Sachin is RS member because he is special, if dravid was not given a offer don't blame sachin for it.

This is an honour for the Greatest Sporting Icon of India, its beyond a sport its about our pride, we see him battling against all the odds with sheer dedication, an individual who gives his best to keep the Indian flag fly high. I doubt if any non-Indian could understand what Sachin means to us.

Best thing to happen in Indian Parliament. Even if he doesn't bring about any important amendments, his aura will fill the parliament with dignity and give a billion people faith in our lawmakers. Best wishes Sir.

literature, science, art and social service , wheres cricket in that?

Welcome and support the new MP...........................

you will get bharthrathna soon!!! my hearty congrats sachin baji!!!!

C'mon, people. You're all being way too harsh. How can any of us know what Sachin might bring to the parliamentary table as an honorary MP? How many of us *really* know what's close to his heart off the cricket field? We all know he's a true gentleman of the game &, by all accounts, a thoroughly decent human being. If, during his tenure, he's able to highlight awareness of even one or two of the burning social issues that have blighted India for generations, then he will have achieved *something*. Don't pre-judge him: the time to appraise what he may or may not achieve in the socio-political sphere is two or three years down the line, not right now. Give him a chance: you might just be in for a surprise or two.

Not sure how others are receiving it; but we, sachin fans, are always with him. All the best to master blaster...

An MP in the INDIAN parliament can say 'my main focus will NOT be on my MP duties', and say it as if to reassure the people. We do have our priorities. Wow.

Guys, let's face it. What are Sachin's achievements in any of the fields of Science, Literature, Art and Social Service? What are his special skills in anyone of those fields and or practical experiences in anyone of those fields? Don't you think a country with a population of over a billion will indeed have deserving figures in those 4 fields? How does Sachin deserve such a well respected nominated spot in our Parliament? And oh, there is this small matter of a billion people and a democracy here, folks. Who cares! Sachin doesn't even qualify for this nomination based on his laughable credentials in each of those 4 fields. Period! Please publish.

Well deserved. He is legend. India´s most powerful person. His entrence to RS will increase its value. RS has already got a lot of publicity just beacause of Sachin.

This is nonsense.This man,an ardent cricketer, has nothing common in politics.He should have saved himself from this embarrassment.Those who choose to have him are opportunists.Politics is a science geared for the deliverance of society.In no way can Sachin fit himself in this club.

The beginning of the exit.

Permanent solution for making more money! All the very best Sachin!!

Then "Keep the Parliament in the cricket ground". Let see

OK, there are some here who are not too happy about the -ve comments that are being made on Sachin. There is no doubt that Sachin has been a great batsman (if not the greatest) once upon a time. He is no longer what he was (he himself has said, he has curtailed his strokes for various reasons) and the longer he stays the past will go farther away and will fade away sooner than later, and what would ultimately remain is what he is today. Even today he is a good batsman but unfortunately, he is being meted out a treatment which is not based on what he is today but is based on what he was in the past. I am sure he can afford to score 10 ducks in a row and still be an automatic choice for the playing 11. I think this situation can only be corrected in one of two ways, either he becomes the prolific scorer that we have all known him to be or he simply retires What he is doing today can be done by a Rohit or Rahane or Raina. These are youngsters and have chances of improving.

Now he is MP with the best Hair Style ;)

Congrats to Sachin , a legend of indian cricket. Now people flattering sachin must cool down. He has recd what he deservs. Dont shout for Bharat Ratna for Sachin. He is far behind from others who deserve. First Major Dhyanchand then Michel Feirera, then Leander Paes then Vishwanathan Anand then Prakash Padukone. Few more are waiting in the list. it is true that he is one of the best batsman india has produced but not the best of them all. Kapil dev is the greatest Cricketer and Sunil Gavaskar is the best technician. By far Gundappa Vishwanath is the best stylish and artistic batsman india has produced. If we pick best indian eleven, certainly sachin is there. HERE IS MY BEST INDIAN TEST ELEVEN Sunil Gavaskar-Sehwag-Dravid-Vishwanath-Sachin-Mankad-Kapil-Srinath-Kirmani-Kumbleand Chandrashekhar. !2th man is Solkar. Four reservs are-Merchant-Prasanna-Dhoni-Azharuddin. If we talk about Sachin's test records he has acheived many of them but not some great one's . I hope everybody will agre

It is time for Sachin to retire & give way to yougesters. He is 39 yrs old. I wish him all the best a MP

congratz to the worlds gretest batsmen and ambassador to the game..however i would've prefered him to stay in cricket and perhaps coach or something..

Guys..When is Sourav contesting for WB elections? any idea?

Vishwanathan Anand must be given Bharat Ratna ahead of Sachin..wat say? Will the news channels start a debate for this?

I'm with RandyOz on this one. Tendulkar has been a great batsman, but he was a lousy leader in cricket. Moreover, he lacks the education of a Dravid or a Laxman or a Kumble. Tendulkar needs to be careful: I understand that he is practially worshipped for his former batting glory, but it is a foolish move for anyone to take on duties which are so clearly beyond them. I'd consider letting Tendulkar bat for my life in a crisis, especially if Viv Richards or Barry Richards or Brian Lara or Graeme Pollock was unavailable. But I wouldn't even leave him in charge of a newspaper stand, let alone trust him as an MP. He is just unqualified and unsuited to the role.

"Tendulkar in turn enquired about the functioning of parliament." Doesn't bode well, does it?!

Warm wishes for Sachin i am from pakistan but i love the attitude and skills of the guy.. he is the greatest ambassador of cricket...love the way he has conducted himself on and off the ground...great batsman and even greater person...

i haven't played cricket and i am in no way eligible to criticize sachin but as general public i can question how is he going to attend the parliament sessions..... better leave politics to good politicians.... u are not going to anything good for the people... may be in ten years time we can expect a 30 storied building near ambani's house.... atleast now please retire from cricket.....

We sincerely wait for the day when we Anil Kumble, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip vengsarkar and other cricketers holding all the post in BCCI and get rid of the politician and the businessmen. Perhaps they can do all is what is required to improve the standard of the indian cricket, which then produces outstanding crickets who play for India and make Team India a powerful team. One could see that during IPL 5, there were hardly new talent which gave performance of international level, there was none I could say.

Congratz Sachin, What is the next goal?

This reminds me of another man from Maharashtra, who was a politician and also the ICC President. This dual role neither helped cricket nor agriculture in India (the ministry he was in charge of). A seat in RS is not a joke that someone will tend to it every once in a while. Its a serious responsibility. He should have taken it after retirement, in order to do justice to this seat.

The article specifically says this honour is for people "having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service." Does cricket fit into any of these? I don't grudge SRT sitting where a lot of other useless people have sat over the years, but what is the poor chap going to do? He can get free plane tickets and other freebies, and help to bring some enthusiasm to gatherings, but it is the Rajya Sabha! Nothing ever happens here. Now has a sitting MP ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna? India sacrificed the Asia Cup so SRT could get to his 100th ton, virtually conceding that match to Bangladesh, but it did help him become MP! MSD on the other hand, wants to serve in the Army after his cricketing days. By the way, India's greatest sporting star is not either of these chaps, it is Vishwanathan Anand.

@maddy20 : Sir! Please understand that it is because of Sourav, Sachin has suffered a lot. Sachin was in difficult period becuase of injuries and Sourav used to comment him as 'Tourist'. Also Sourav made a gang of followers(youngsters) who always used to destabilise Sachin. So pls understand that it is the other way around. Sachin never had problem with Dravid but Dravid had a problem with Sachin becuase Sachin used to get more popularity. Now Sachin, Sourav and Dravid are at peace. So you should also leave Sachin alone. Theres no point in being ignorant to the issues.

Gambhr saying we did it for Balaji..but Dhoni not using jadeja..remains a mystery like Sachin MP :-D

Thgis is seriously embarassing. Unbelievable the guy has zero leadership credentials.

The criteria clearly states "having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service." Hmm, if Tendulkar's focus is just going to be cricket, then why accept the nomination ? What next, Sourav Ganguly for West Bengal CM in next elections ?

Sachin-blaming has become a fashion now-a-days... So, congress proposed Sachin's nomination, it's Sachin's fault... President nominated him, it's Sachin's fault... then he took an oath, it's Sachin's fault... You guys do this because you can't find any fault in his game... you are jealous that he endured for such long time in a harsh sport whereas your favorite players couldn't... A nominated MP post at Rajya Sabha is just a figurative post which is bestowed upon talented individuals in various fields... Why else then Latha ji and Javed Akhtar would be in Rajya Sabha... It is up to the member to utilize the opportunity and raise forth the issues existent in their respective field or any other... This is not in any way a political career... So, please think before you comment people... I don't think any of you, myself included, have any right to comment Sachin and his character...

Congrats to Sachin - hope he keeps his respect without losing like Jayasuriya

Politics is not a dirty place, it is made dirty by us by being careless on selection of candidate by election. Now , even though this Sachin is not nominated by elections but by his game, but the message is simple..." good people deserve respect everywhere". Looking at him, we should realise our goal that getting into politics is way u help India really. Politics is always back bone of country, let's not make it weak bone of country. Let us get inspired.

stop cribbing about 'attendance' of SRT in Rajya Sabha. Just check what the 'full time' politicians record is. And even when they are there all they do is create trouble and not let both houses function. Obviously some ppl will continue with the constant tendulkar bashing, but do give him a chance. The early signs are good and if there is a guy who can get things done in India, its him... Maybe sports like hockey and football will benefit. Cricketers in politics is a lot better than politicians in cricket that exist currently... And it is a 6 year term.

Congrats Sachin..@@ he is here b'cause of cricket & his nature...he is the one who deserve the honor...!! five fingures of hand are not same...so if i'm fan of sachin second will not be....so criticize is always there for everythng..!@

Just one question -- why the hurry to make him an MP?

Rest assured we can expect some unwarranted comments on Sachin here. Negativity and people. anyways my best wishes to Sachin!:-) he was so clear in his talks about what he wants to do. At some level, Simplicity personified!

Hello @Ankur--please understand dat d post given for dese 12MP's i nt d same as other MP's . These posts are jst fr d ppl who hav a specific knowledge in their fields nd they are nt expected 2 make a large changes in Indian politics bt dey are expected 2 take forth their respective field knowledge into somethng dat can take our country further in their departments. So please stop blaming Sachin n start understanding d role given 2him before actually criticising some one

Wonderful . . . I was thinking Sachin would occupy larger roles such as selectors, chairman of selectors etc . . but well, with this, he has set his goals higher . . . BCCI president - the "paying class" and not selectors, the "salaried class" . . . way to go Sachin MP

I would not be surprised if Sachin gives second priority to cricket from here on. He has always played a part in team politics, tormenting captains like Dravid, Ganguly. Me thinks he will definitely shine and may even become the next Prime Minister!

One of the reasons why Sachin was not considering retirement was, may be, he was not sure "what next?". Now that he has an alternate career on hand, may be, he will consider retirement soon and give chance to some youngster. After all, in Politics, at 38 years, he would be a trainee and has a long career ahead of him.

Congrats to Sachin Tendulkar ! you r serving the Cricket and now you r serving public.........all the best Sachin

@Ankur,

There is a reason why we have Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Try to understand what is Rajya Sabha before commenting on others

A ticket to the Rajya Sabha is not a trophy to be awarded to someone for his/her sporting achievement. Politics and governing a nation is a serious matter. Tendulkar should never have accepted this post as he very well knows that he won't be able to devote the requisite time and effort due to his cricketing commitments.

Congratulations to world's greatest batsman and India's greatest sporting icon.....It takes a lot to enter public service....