"Happy birthday Kamblya" - Sachin Tendulkar sends across a special birthday wish to old pal Vinod Kambli, shares childhood picture

Former India cricketer Vinod Kambli is celebrating his 50th birthday on Tuesday, January 18. Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar took to his Twitter account to extend his greetings to his old friend on his special day.

Tendulkar shared a couple of pictures with Kambli, including one from their childhood, along with his wishes. The 'Little Master' mentioned how he would always treasure the memories the two have shared, both on and off the field.

Sachin Tendulkar's special birthday wish for Vinod Kambli:

"Happy birthday Kamblya! The innumerable memories we have had both on & off the field are something I shall cherish forever. Looking forward to hear from you on how 50 feels…God bless you!"

Vinod Kambli thanked the "Master":

"Thank you Master! 50 for me feels as energetic and young as a newborn baby."

Both Tendulkar and Kambli are childhood friends and were trained by the same coach, Ramakant Achrekar. The two players etched their names in the history books with their stunning 664-run stand for the third wicket during the semi-final of the Harris Shield in 1988.

It is worth mentioning that it was the then-record for the highest partnership for any wicket in any class of cricket. The two batters later went on to play together for the Indian cricket team as well.

A look at Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli's stints in international cricket

Tendukar, who made his India debut in 1989, finished his career as the most prolific run-scorer in international cricket. The right-hander has amassed 15,921 runs in Test matches and scored 18,426 runs in One-Day Internationals.

The champion batter is also the only player to have slammed 100 centuries in international cricket. While Tendulkar is hailed as the greatest batter of his era, Kambli's career proved to be a contrasting one.

The left-handed middle-order was first called up to the Indian team in 1991. Many fans believe that the southpaw did not live up to his potential as his promising career came to a premature end in 2000. He finished with 1084 runs in 17 Tests and 2477 runs in 104 ODIs.