On Thursday the recently retired cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar began a new role - promoting toilets and hygiene.

The Indian batsman was appointed UNICEF's ambassador for South Asia, helping promote sanitation in a country where more than half of the 1.2 billion population defecate in the open.

Tendulkar told a packed news conference it was a "second innings for him," adding, "This innings is important and dear to me, so I will do my best here."

In India, 53 percent of the population lack toilets and defecate in the open, the country's 2011 census data showed.

"Another statistic which baffles me and I was disheartened to know is that 1,600 children die everyday worldwide because of diarrhea-infected diseases," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar, the world's leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket, made a tearful final departure from the sport earlier this month after his 200th Test match, ending a glittering career spanning 24 years.

Agencies - Global Times