Pune: “It’s a bouncer,” quipped Sachin Tendulkar on being asked what prompted him to accept Rajya Sabha nomination. Speaking at a felicitation ceremony in Pune for completing 23 years in cricket, Tendulkar said, “When honourable President nominates your name (for Rajya Sabha) to a list which had many big names prior to mine like Lata didi and Prithviraj Kapoor - it is an honour.”

“The nomination is a reflection of the contribution of the individual in a field. I have played cricket for 22 and a half years,” he told the gathering at the function. His entry into the Rajya Sabha has evoked reactions with some questioning his ‘political move’. What added to the fire was Sachin’s meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi hours before his nomination was announced.

Ending all speculations on the matter, he said: “I am not a politician; I am a sportsman and will remain so always.”

“A lot of responsibilities come with this nomination. All the awards I have got till date are due to cricket... cricket is my life and will remain so. My expertise is sports and I wish to contribute in the field,” he said.

Sachin meanwhile said he considers the 2003 World Cup match against Pakistan as one of the biggest matches of his career.

Sachin said the team started discussing about the match way back in 2002. “2003 World Cup match against Pakistan at Centurion is one of the biggest of my career. We started talking about the match in 2002, which shows how important it was as we were pitted against arch rivals Pakistan,” he said.