By Ayanjit Sen BBC in Delhi

Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is celebrating his 30th birthday.

The news of his birthday has been splashed in Indian newspapers and even television channels are carrying coverage.

And stalwarts from other fields have lauded him too.

TENDULKAR - 30 not out He has scored 31 Test tons He has 8,811 Test runs He averages 57.58 in Tests He has 12,219 one-day runs

In a column in a leading Indian newspaper, film star Shah Rukh Khan said: "To me, he is the Aamir Khan [a leading Indian actor] of cricket".

The staff at the batsman's restaurant - Tendulkar's - in Mumbai, however, celebrated his birthday a day before.

Sachin cut a cake with the workers singing the song, Someone's Getting Old.

Though his restaurant has some special menus lined up for guests, Tendulkar along with his family and close friends are celebrating the day in the western state of Rajasthan.

When Tendulkar walked out to the middle at a stadium in Karachi 14 years ago to play his first Test match against Pakistan, cricket pundits declared the birth of an icon.

And their prophecy has come true, much to the delight of millions of cricket fans.

I can't imagine an Indian team walking out on the field without the master blaster Delhi doctor Amrit Arora

The schoolboy's insatiable appetite for runs made millions of Indian cricket fans look up to the new kid on the block.

He has not disappointed them over the years and has scored more centuries than his age.

Tendulkar is also an advertiser's dream and has become a brand name himself.

Fans would love to see him carry on playing cricket for many years to come.

"I wish he would continue playing for the country for at least another 10 years because I can't imagine an Indian team walking out on the field without the master blaster," said Amrit Arora, a doctor in Delhi.

A batting phenomenon, as described by former Indian cricketer -turned commentator, Navjot Sidhu, Tendulkar's India want him to bring much more success to the country.