Tendulkar finishes maiden speech online after chaos in parliament

NEW DELHI, Dec 22 (AFP): Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar resorted on Friday to Facebook to finish his much-anticipated maiden speech as a parliamentarian after his first attempt was thwarted by chaotic scenes in the upper house.

The "little master", widely revered as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, rose to his feet Thursday in India's parliament to give his inaugural address since being awarded an honorary seat in 2012.

But the 44-year-old's god-like status in India meant little in the chamber, where he was drowned out by feuding politicians who forced parliament to adjourn just as Tendulkar was finding his stride.

"Sachin out for duck in Rajya Sabha," ran a headline in The Hindu newspaper on Friday, using the Hindi name for India's upper house.

The cricket icon Friday finished his speech through his Facebook page, which is followed by roughly 28 million fans.

Tendulkar made reference to the false start before picking up where he left off, imploring Indians to take up a sport to improve their health.

"Being a sportsman, I will talk about health, sports and fitness of India, for it has a telling impact on our economy," he said.