Sachin Tendulkar became the first Indian sportsperson to grace the world-famous Madame Tussauds, with a life-size wax statue of the master blaster being unveiled in London on Friday coinciding with his 36th birthday.
The statue had been formally launched by Tendulkar in Mumbai on April
13, who had exclaimed "it was so real, it was fanastic! I'm glad it doesn't breathe."
The ace batsman could not be present here as he is leading the Mumbai Indians in the IPL in South Africa.
Liz Edwards, PR manager at Madame Tussauds London, who accompanied the wax figure from London to Mumbai and back said, "It was an electric moment when the two Tendulkars came to face-to-face and both Sachin and his family were absolutely delighted.
"We're pleased to be marking his 36th birthday today by inaugurating his figure into the attraction in London; we know it is going to be a huge hit with fans and hope Sachin will visit us here soon."
At the museum, Sachin joins Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. He is the first Indian sportsman to make the grade and joins cricket legends Brian Lara and Shane Warne.
Statues of former Indian Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao also there in the wax museum.