Tendulkar cuts cake to celebrate 50th birthday at Wankhede

MUMBAI: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th birthday was on Saturday celebrated two days early during the Indian Premier League clash between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings at his home ground Wankhede Stadium here.

Tendulkar, who had said that reaching 50 was his ‘slowest half-century’, cut a cake near the Mumbai Indians’ dugout during the second strategic break in the first innings.

The Mumbai Indians franchise, for whom Tendulkar played for all his six years in the IPL from 2008-2013, made arrangements to celebrate the occasion.

More than 30,000 fans at the Wankhede Stadium were provided with Tendulkar face masks.

The batting legend wore jersey No. 10 for India and Mumbai Indians, and after the 10th over of Punjab Kings’ innings, the stadium was reverberated with the familiar chant of ‘Sachin… Sachin’.

“Sachin made the no 10 jersey iconic in cricket and this year will mark 10 years to the last match he played for India, which had come at the Wankhede Stadium. On that occasion, Saturday will be all about celebrating the glorious career of the highest run getter of all time and India’s most capped Test and ODI player,” the franchise said earlier in a release.

Additionally, outside the Garware Pavilion, a large replica of Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey was kept for fans to click photos.