Not a stranger to honours and accolades, master batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Monday said his wax statue adorning the iconic Madame Tussauds in London would be both an appreciation and reflection of his contribution to Indian cricket. "It is a great honour to be there at the Tussauds. I know I am the first sportsperson of the country to be there. I think it is an appreciation and a reflection of my contribution to Indian cricket," he said after unveiling the statue in Mumbai.

Tendulkar said he was spellbound after seeing the statue, which will be inaugurated at the Tussauds on April 24, his birthday.

"I am not a person who normally reacts easily to anything. But when my family and I saw it, something identical to myself, my reaction was something different. I have not reacted like that before, my reaction was special. It was so real, it was fantastic. But I am glad it does not breath.

"(My son) Arjun wanted to take down the bat and start playing but I told him not to get very close," he said.

Asked next to whom he would want his wax statue to be placed at the Tussauds, Tendulkar said, "I don't mind to be next to anybody. The fact that it will be there itself was a great honour. There are so many great personalities there including Indians," he said.