The much accomplished cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar can now add yet another milestone to his incredible resume.   Madame Tussauds, the world renowned London based wax sculpture company has added him to the collection of sculptures.  The major significance here is the he is the first Indian athlete to receive this honor at the main headquarters in London and the first Indian cricketer since Kapil Dev. Congratulations, Sachin!  They flew the finished product to him so he can see himself in the flesh, or in this case, in the wax.

"I am very impressed with the figure and delighted to be honored by Madame Tussauds," Sachin Tendulkar said.

Having a Madame Tussauds sculpture is like having your own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame or having a street named after you.  While Madame Tussauds has produced wax sculptures on everyone from Indira Gandhi and Shahrukh Khan to Justin Timberlake and Jackie Chan, Sachin Sendulkar will be joining some pretty elite athletes.  Michael Jordan, Pele, Wayne Gretzky, and David Beckham all have their striking likenesses at Madame Tussauds, so it's only right if they can get arguably the greatest cricket player of all time to join them.  Even Shane Warne, who has his own wax sculpture in London's branch, believes Tendulkar is the greatest cricket player he has ever seen.  Other cricketers in wax are Warne, Brian Lara, and Kapil Dev, so he has exclusive company there.

"It is the first time we have ever launched a figure overseas. But we really wanted Sachin to see his likeness before it 'meets' the public," said Liz Edwards of Madame Tussauds, London.  "The figure will now be returning to London to join the ranks of sporting greats past and present in our sports zone. There will also be a cricketing challenge around the figure where guests can test their skills against the master-blaster.  We know it will be a huge hit with fans."

With the Twenty20 World Cup coming to London this year, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

"London and India share a great passion for cricket and we are delighted that Madame Tussauds has unveiled a figure of Sachin Tendulkar," said Sally Chatterjee, the interim chief executive of Visit London, the agency that promotes tourism to the British capital.  "With the International Cricket Council's World Twenty20 coming to London this June more cricket fans will have the opportunity to come face to face with one of their sporting heroes."

Madame Tussauds, which has its attractions in London, New York, Las Vegas, Washington, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hong Kong and Shanghai, has been making wax figures for over 150 years.  It's so great to see Sachin Tendulkar get some recognition from somewhere outside of the cricket scene for once.  No word yet on when this sculpture will be officially unveiled to the public.

What do you guys think of Sachin Sendulkar immortalized in wax at Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum?  Is it cool to see an Indian sportsman get this rare honor or is this trivial in the long line of accomplishments the Master Blaster has achieved?  Drop us a comment below.