The legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, famously known as the ‘God of Cricket’ has turned 47 today. He has decided not to celebrate his 47th birthday due to the Covid-19 health crisis faced by the country and the world.

The cricket fraternity along with many other celebrities has greeted the Indian cricket legend with wishes on social media. India captain Virat Kohli took to Twitter to share a picture of him with Sachin Tendulkar and wrote a heartfelt message to extend his wishes for the highest run-getter in international cricket. 

“Happy birthday to the man whose passion for the game of cricket has inspired many. Wishing you an amazing year ahead paaji. @sachintendulkar,” Virat Kohli captioned the post.

Sachin Tendulkar was the definition of cricket for many across the world during his decorated 24-year international career. He made his debut at the young age of 16 against Pakistan and went on to become one of world’s iconic cricketers. His voracious appetite of scoring runs and breaking records also drew comparisons to Australian great Don Bradman.

Sachin Tendulkar Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODIs in December 2012, from T20 in October 2013, and finally, from all forms of cricket on November 13, 2013, after playing his 200th and final Test match against the West Indies at his home ground, Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Fans switched off their televisions as soon as the ‘little master’ was dismissed and at other times were held to the edges of their seats when he was at the crease.

Tendulkar finished his career as the leading run-getter in international cricket, with 34,357 runs across formats — 15,921 in 200 Tests, 18426 in 463 ODIs and 10 in 1 T20 international.

Recently, he donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed many Indian lives and wreaked havoc globally. He contributed Rs 25 lakh each to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in his bid to join the fight against the crisis.