city anchor: Not out on 39, Li’l Master thanks God and fans

He might have turned 39 on Tuesday. But as more than 40 fans waited outside the practice nets at PCA Stadium, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar keenly obliged them by getting clicked and accepting their best wishes. With the Mumbai Indians team reaching the stadium early and after a grueling net session, as Tendulkar reached the nets, his first reaction was to thank fans and the almighty. "I want to thank god and my fans on this day. It is because of them that I have reached so far. I have played for such a long time and and it is all because of my fans," Tendulkar told mediapersons at PCA Stadium on Tuesday ahead of Mumbai Indians clash against Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday.

After a two-hour net session, as Sachin made his way towards the PCA Stadium exit, the fans gathered there too and it was on the insistence of some police officials that the crowd waited patiently. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old cricketer had to wait at the reception of the PCA gate for more than two minutes and later met the fans. "I want to meet the fans in an organised way," Tendulkar told the police officials.

Meanwhile, it was a low key affair for the Master Blaster at the hotel. The hotel had ordered a specially made 5-Kg cake in the morning, which was presented to Tendulkar late in the evening. His children Arjun and Sana were expected to join Sachin and his wife Anjali Tendulkar late in the evening.

"We are expecting his children late in the evening. Tendulkar wanted it to be a low-key affair. His teammates Harbhajan Singh and Dinesh Karthick are supervising the arrangements," said an official attached with the security of the team. Tendulkar did not cut the cake and open the champagne offered by PCA at the stadium.

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