'As Splendid as Your Cover Drives': Suresh Raina Has The Sweetest Birthday Wish For 'Paji' Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest batters to have played cricket, turns 51 today. Wishes have been pouring in from various corners of the cricketing fraternity including from his former India teammate Suresh Raina.

The former Chennai Super Kings star sent his heartfelt wishes to Tendulkar on Instagram.

“Happy Birthday Paji, @sachintendulkar! Your legendary career has inspired millions and your grace both on and off the field continues to set the bar. Wishing you health, happiness, and a year as splendid as your cover drives! #HappyBirthdaySachin.”

Raina shared a series of photos of him and Tendulkar from the former’s debut Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo. The duo stitched a 246-run stand for the fifth wicket, with Raina scoring 120 and Tendulkar scoring 203. India scored 707 runs in reply to Sri Lanka’s 1st innings score of 642/4 declared as the Test ended in a draw.

Raina and Tendulkar were also a part of the Indian squad that won the 2011 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Both players played key roles in helping India clinch the World Cup after 28 years, with Raina scoring crucial knocks in the quarter-final against Australia and the semi-final against Pakistan.

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Tendulkar was the top scorer of India at the tournament, scoring 482 runs in nine innings, which included two centuries and as many fifties.

Tendulkar started his cricketing journey at a very young age 11 and was coached by the late Ramakant Achrekar, who was a prominent name in the Mumbai coaching circuit.

Tendulkar made his debut for India in 1989 against Pakistan, at the age of 16, and went on to create a host of records during a glittering 24-year career.

Raina, meanwhile, played his last game for India in 2018 and retired after having scored 7,988 runs across formats. He is presently a part of the Hindi commentary panel for the ongoing edition of IPL, having last played in the tournament in 2021 for the Chennai Super Kings.