Sachin Tendulkar-signed bat is my proudest possession, says British PM David Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke about two things he loves in India — hot curries and Sachin Tendulkar — ahead of his upcoming high-profile visit to the country.

British PM David Cameron revealed his admiration for Indian cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar © PTI

London, Feb 16, 2013

British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke about two things he loves in India — hot curries and Sachin Tendulkar — ahead of his upcoming high-profile visit to the country.

“I’m a massive cricket fan. One of my proudest possessions is the bat that Sachin Tendulkar gave me that’s signed by him,” Cameron said.

Cameron spoke of the good relations between India and Britain and felpt that there is a chance of good ties in the future.

“My message is that I think Britain and India can be one of the great partnerships of the 21st century. I think it can be a special relationship; there’s the history, there are the family ties, there’s the culture, there’s the language, there’s the love of things like cricket,” he said, as reported by India TV.

“But there’s an amazing future if we team up our universities, our businesses. There’s actually, I don’t think, any limit on this relationship…I think Britain should show enormous respect for what India’s going to be able to do in the world, and we want to be one of your partners as you grow and succeed,” he said.

The Conservative party leader also stressed that there will be “no limit” to the number of students from India who can study in the UK and then stay on to find work under the Tory-led coalition government.

“All you need is a basic English qualification and a place at a British university. What’s more, after you’ve left a British university, if you can get a graduate-level job there is no limit to the amount of people who can stay and work, or the time that they can stay at work,” he said.

Cameron admitted that he had failed to “properly communicate” the policy to Indians, something he hopes to rectify during his visit.

“Now we need to take that message out to talented young people in India and say if you want to make that choice, Britain will be incredibly welcoming.