Tendulkar's journey from a cricketer to a parliamentarian

New Delhi: Record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar turns 40 on Wednesday with no plans to retire despite media speculation and recent form suggesting that age is finally catching up with the "Little Master".Tendulkar definitely is one of the most prolific run getters in International cricket. He is an astute and consistent performer who continues to deliver at an age where people start looking for retirement plans. Tendulkar was born into a Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Mumbai. His mother Rajni worked in the insurance industry, and his father Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist, named Tendulkar after his favourite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir where he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor, Ramakant Achrekar at the local ground, Shivaji Park. Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali, a paediatrician and daughter of Gujarati industrialist Anand Mehta and British social worker Annabel Mehta. They have two children, Sara and Arjun. Tendulkar's performance through the years 1994–1999 coincided with his physical peak, in his early twenties. Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994. He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. He scored his first ODI century on 9 September 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken him 79 ODIs to score a century. Tendulkar's rise continued when he was the leading run scorer at the 1996 World Cup, scoring two centuries. He was the only Indian batsman to perform in the infamous semi-final against Sri Lanka. Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. When Tendulkar took over as captain in 1996, it was with huge hopes and expectations. However, by 1997 the team was performing poorly. Azharuddin was credited with saying "Nahin jeetega! Chote ki naseeb main jeet nahin hai. Tendulkar scored his much awaited 100th international hundred on 16 March 2012, at Mirpur against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He became the first person in history to achieve this feat. Tendulkar's immense popularity has led him to be an early pioneer in India on cricket business dealings when he signed a record sports management deal with Worldtel in 1995, the value of the deal being 30 crore (US$5.43 million) over five years. His next contract with WorldTel in 2001 was valued at 80 crore (US$14.48 million) over five years. In 2006, he signed a contract with Saatchi and Saatchi's ICONIX values at 180 crore (US$32.58 million) over three years. Tendulkar has opened two restaurants: Tendulkar's (Colaba, Mumbai) and Sachin's (Mulund, Mumbai) and Bangalore. Sachin owns these restaurants in partnership with Sanjay Narang of Mars Restaurants. In 2007, Tendulkar also announced a JV with the Future Group and Manipal Group to launch healthcare and sports fitness products under the brand name 'S Drive and Sach'. In April 2012, Tendulkar accepted the Rajya Sabha nomination proposed by the president. He is the first active sportsperson and cricketer to have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. On 2 May, Tendulkar was elected to seat number 103 in the Rajya Sabha. He took the oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on 4 June; however he could not take the oath during the budget session due to the ongoing IPL. "Cricket comes first," Tendulkar said when reporters asked whether he preferred cricket to parliament. Sachin Tendulkar had been alloted 5 Tughlak Lane bungalow, a type VII accommodation in Lutyen's zone in New Delhi. The accommodation was just opposite to that of Rahul Gandhi's residence. However, he has politely turned down the offer.