Quiet birthday for Tendulkar

Making a rare public appearance, Sachin Tendulkar cut a cake in presence of mediapersons to mark his 33rd birthday, which he otherwise spent quietly with family members at home.

Dressed in a gray and black striped T-shirt, Tendulkar obliged the mediapersons who had been waiting patiently since morning with the cake, by sharing a few moments with the local scribes.

"The whole day has been a quiet affair, spent with family members and no one else," he told reporters.

"It is very rarely that the whole family sits together and chats peacefully, today we have been able to sit down and talk," said the Mumbai batsman.

Tendulkar revealed that his two kids, daughter Sara and son Arjun, had planned an early morning surprise for him.

"The kids were very happy. They planned an early morning surprise. They woke me up and took me to their room. They had decorated the room. It was a pleasant surprise." Asked if any special delicacy had been prepared by his mother, he said, "mother cooks everyday, there was nothing special today. Homemade food is homemade food. But, yes she probably cooked the food with more love today.

Tendulkar, who has scored 74 international centuries, also said he had been receiving a lot of birthday wishes from his well-wishers. "I have been getting a lot of SMS and phone calls from teammates and friends. It is hard to keep replying but in the next couple of days I should be able to do that." The right-handed batsman said he had been using his injury-induced break from the game to spend some quality time with family.

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"I have just been relaxing, spending peaceful time with family." Looking back at the past season and ahead at the coming one, he said, "Last season was a combination of things. I became the most capped player and scored the 35th ton, I have taken all this in my stride. I am looking forward to the coming season. We hope to play similar to what he have been playing in recent past."

Asked if he had made any birthday resolution, he said, "No resolution as such. I take it as just one of the many birthdays I have celebrated." He also thanked the mediapersons for their unwavering love and affection.

"I am basically here to thank everyone who has shown affection to me. It really surprises me -- you are so consistent and I'm not," he said referring to the now almost annual ritual of reporters waiting outside his house with cake on his birthdays.

"It is something special. It is not a burden for me."