On his visit to India last week, English Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a meeting with the Indian Premier that he would like to propose the name of Sachin Tendulkar for the top British honour, a knighthood.

If acknowledged by the awards panel, Tendulkar would be the first Indian sportsman to be knighted. It's an interesting topic of debate. There are those who say it brings humiliation to a nation once ruled by the British. At a point of time when we have celebrated 60 years of Indian independence it would be odd if we consider such a trivial issue. Indians have in the past accepted honours from Pakistan. Would such an argument hold there, too?

The honour would be a gesture of respect and admiration for Tendulkar's goodwill and contribution to cricket – the little maestro remains one of the best the game has seen in a nation where cricket is a passion. There is nothing wrong in Sachin accepting the honour. He is arguably the best batsman the world has seen. It was only a matter of time before such a reward arrived. Maybe Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar will be candidates in the future.

'The little maestro remains one of the best the game has seen in a nation where cricket is a passion.'

It's just the sport and the sportsman being honoured for his or her contribution – nothing else,. So let’s move on and let the individual in question decide upon what he feels is the right thing to do if the knighthood is offered.