Former India captain and legendary batter, Sachin Tendulkar celebrated his 50th birthday in front of a jam-packed Wankhede Stadium during Mumbai Indians' game against Punjab Kings on April 22 (Saturday). Sachin, who will turn 50 years old on April 24 (Monday), cut a cake as the crowd wished 'Master Blaster' in unison. During the match, the 'God of Cricket' spoke of Ravi Shastri and said that he wats to enjoy the remaining few hours of his 40s.
"I told my teammates let me enjoy being in 40s for few more hours. 50 is obviously round the corner but its nice to be 40," Sachin laughed.
"This has been the slowest fifty of my life but the most fulfilling one and interesting one. It's a package of highs and lows. I've thoroughly enjoyed scoring this fifty, it has taught me a lot. Above all, it has given me the honor of representing India for 24 years.
"If anyone gave me a choice to choose something else as a career, I wouldn't go for anything else. This is the best thing that has happened in my life and given me all that I wanted in my life. The dream started in 1980 and I started chasing that dream and I am still living that dream. It has been a beautiful journey," he added.
During the conversation with Shastri on the sidelines, Sachin also reflected on how the game of cricket has evolved since the inception of the cash-rich tournament in 2008.
"The game has changed immensely. Post-2008 when the first IPL happened. Test cricket is more or less the same. ODI cricket has changed due to the rule. The average scores are increasing. The bowlers are a little bit at disadvantage with two new balls. The game is moving really fast. The impact player has made all the difference. The average scores in IPL are getting higher. Earlier it was 180-190 but it has gone over 200," Sachin added.
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