Tendulkar celebrates 20 years in cricket with family, teammates

more images

more images

AHMEDABAD - Sachin Tendulkar spent Sunday with his family and teammates here, celebrating his 20 years in international cricket.

Tendulkar’s wife Anjali flew in from Mumbai to be with him on this momentous ocassion — the anniversary that marked his debut in international cricket, donning the India cap against Pakistan at Multan on Nov 15, 1989. Some of his close friends were also there for the party arranged at the team hotel St Laurn in the evening.

The Indian team will turn out Monday for the first Test match against Sri Lanka at the Sardar Patel stadium, Motera, here.

Tendulkar will be felicitated by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA). Chief minister Narendra Modi, who is also the president of GCA, will present a memento to Tendulkar.

It will be one of the many memorable moments at the Sardar Patel Stadium which hosted its first international Test match between India and the West Indies in 1983.

Sunil Gavaskar completed his 10,000 runs in Test cricket here while Kapil Dev broke Sir Richard Hadlee’s bowling record of 431 Test wickets at the same venue.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hoped that Tendulkar gets a century in the match to mark the occasion.

“It can’t get better. Sachin completing his 20 years in international cricket and scoring a century,” said Dhoni.

The venue has been a happy hunting ground for Tendulkar as he scored his maiden double century here against New Zealand in 1999.