Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar turns 45

The legend, who has entertained his fans for over 24 years with the cricket bat, started to play for the national team in 1989, at just 16 years of age.

Tendulkar is known for his masterclass with the bat as he is the only batsman to score 100 centuries across all formats of the sport.

Not only 100 hundreds, Tendulkar has a number of world records under his belt.

The most international runs, highest number of matches played by any cricketer are all owned by the man, who is also known as the 'Master Blaster'.

Though he didn't get much success as a leader, Tendulkar captained the Indian team for two terms.

However, his batting class was proved time and again. In 2003 World Cup, though India lost in the final against Australia, Tendulkar was named the man of the tournament, scoring more than 600 runs.

Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, is presently the icon of Mumbai Indians, an Indian Premier League franchise.

On the occasion of his birthday, several of his former teammates showered wishes on him.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who had a big partnership with Tendulkar in 2003 World Cup against Pakistan, tweeted, "Centurion 2003 was one of the best days in my life.Not just because we beat Pakistan in a WC match but because I got to witness from a distance of just 22 yards,a display of focus,intensity & genius.What a man, your glory will be unsurpassed @sachin_rt paaji #HappyBirthdaySachin

One of the Indian batsmen with whom Tendulkar shared partnerships multiple times on field was VVS Laxman. On this special day, Laxman said on Twitter, "Happy Birthday dear @sachin_rt . You are and will always remain an inspiration . It’s wonderful to see you contribute towards society with some really good initiatives even after your retirement. Wish you success always. #HappyBirthdaySachin"

Suresh Raina tweeted, "To the man who united a billion Indians and brought a smile to their faces everytime he walked out to bat. A dream that he turned into reality. Sachin is an emotion.. Sachin is a phenomena!"