Sachin Tendulkar, son Arjun, daughter Sara and wife Anjali  pose next to Sachin's wax figure in Mumbai.

Sachin Tendulkar has been literally immortalised on Monday as the Master Blaster's wax figure was unveiled in Mumbai. The process of creating the figure by Madame Tussauds Wax Museum was started in February this year in Mumbai.

Sachin became the 10th Indian with a figure in the wax museum and is the only one to have had his figure unveiled in India. He is also the first Indian sportstar to have his statue in the one of the most famous and prestigious tourist spot in London.

There was such anticipation in the packed room, many on the edge of their seats. Eager voices hushed and shushed. Impatient eyes widened, as the curtains came down on Sachin Tendulkar's wax statue. There, on an elevated platform, were the two of them - the real and the fake - in his signature celebratory pose of the cricket field. In Test whites, both arms raised with a bat in one and a helmet in the other, Sachin Tendulkar acknowledging the appreciation.

Before the 'so which one is him' game could begin, the real Sachin showed why he's only mortal and blinked as hundreds of cameras flashed into his eyes. 'Right one is him', 'see his eyes blinked', 'he's moving', such excited chatter filled the air. There was another give-away. The wax statue was clean shaven while Sachin sported a stubble. Then Sachin gave up the pretence, walked up to his wax figure and stared at it in delight.

The likeness was incredible. The receding hairline, broad-flat nose, the slant of the eyes and even the slight double-chin imitated to perfection. "I am not the kind who normally reacts easily to anything. But when my family and I saw it, something identical, it was fantastic. There is so much detailing, truly professional effort and it's outstanding, really. I'm glad it doesn't breathe," Sachin said.

The figure will be unveiled at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London on April 24, Sachin's 36th birthday. He becomes the only Indian sportsperson to be represented at the museum and his statue is likely to be placed either next to former Australian spinner Shane Warne or football icon David Beckham.

It was perhaps about time that Sachin was immortalised in wax, the batsman having claimed almost all the batting records in the world. The pose is probably just the way his fans would want to remember him - the celebration style that thousands of budding cricketers, in the dusty bylanes and parks around the country, try to imitate. "I saw a lot of pictures of various poses of mine. But this is the way I celebrate. It is special I think," he said. 

Sachin has never visited the popular museum, though first visiting London as a 15-year-old in 1985, with a club side. "This honour gives me a reason to go there. It's a special birthday present. I will be engaged with the IPL, so I won't be there on the day of the unveiling but I will definitely go afterwards," he said.

So now if you want to pose with Sachin, you know where to head. It may be fake, but it seems almost real

According to reports, Tendulkar purchased Dorab Villa from its owners, the Satra Group, for around Rs 35 crore. 

"We sold Dorab Villa to Sachin Tendulkar in December," Dr Vijay Satra, brother of managing director Praful Satra, who had purchased the property, told a Mumbai newspaper.

Dorab Villa was built in the 1920s and originally occupied by a Parsi family -- the Wardens. It is a one storey structure, measuring around 9,000 square feet, but the property is spread over around 10,000 square feet.

Tendulkar spent all of his growing up years at Sahitya Sahawas in Bandra East before shifting to the plush La Mer building in Bandra West in 2001.