New Delhi: VVS Laxman, one of India's batting greats, celebrated his 43rd birthday on Wednesday; and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar saved this day to spill the beans on Laxman's secret behind scoring over 8000 runs in Test cricket.


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Tendulkar led the long queue of India's cricket fraternity that wished Laxman on Twitter, but the master blaster possibly played the best stroke of the lot to hit his former team-mate for a six, which must have brought a smile on the Hyderabad man's face.   


Tendulkar revealed that Laxman took a shower and ate an apple every time he walked out of the dressing room to bat for India.


"Happy b`day, Lax! Shall I spill out the secret behind ur ability to score runs? Taking a shower & eating an apple before going to bat. Oops," Tendulkar tweeted.



Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly, pacer Irfan Pathan, opener Shikhar Dhawan, allrounder Ravichandran Ashwin and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh were among others to wish Laxman, who has played 134 Tests and 86 ODIs, scoring 8,781 runs and 2,338 runs respectively. 


The most memorable of Laxman's many iconic Test knocks was the 281 he scored against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In a partnership with Rahul Dravid, Laxman kept the Aussies wicketless for the entire day. India eventually won the Test after having been asked to follow on.