In March, Tendulkar, who contines to play test and one day matches for his country, became the first cricketer to score 100 international centuries. Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi invited Tendulkar to her residence to congratulate him on the historic feat. Of the 250 members in the Rajya Sabha, 12 are nominated by the president for "special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service." The soft-spoken cricketer has previously been considered for the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian honour.