A 34 Bat Salute

COURTESY MID-DAY PUBLICATIONS

Sachin Tendulkar will get a unique gift for his 34th birthday today: 34 miniature bats, which childhood pal Vinod Kambli will present him.

“When he got his 35th Test hundred, I sent him 35 vada pavs. It brought a smile to his face then. Now, this will cause a chuckle,” Kambli said.

Bleak timeThe batting maestro needs all the cheer considering it is a bleak time for him after a disastrous World Cup as well as experts questioning whether he should stay in the game.

It is a far cry from his 30th birthday, which he celebrated after he won the player of the tournament award in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where India reached the final.

Despite the gloom, Kambli does not believe it will be one of Tendulkar’s forgettable birthdays. “I don’t think he will be sad in any way because he is always positive,” he said.

On the reason for sending him 34 miniatures, Kambli laughed and said: “Firstly, I get a chance to give him my autograph, which I never have. And the 34 bats are to remind him that he WILL come back strongly and score a pile of runs in the Test series against Bangladesh."

Symbolic

Also, and very importantly, a bat is symbolic of Sachin’s love for the game. Hence, I am sending him not one, but 34.” Kambli does not agree with the decision to ‘rest’ Tendulkar from the one-day series in Bangladesh.

“Look, I have known Sachin since he was a kid. And I can vouch that all he wants is to play cricket. So, I don’t believe that he needed rest. He would rather be playing.”