The thrill to adorn the lion-crested cap was quite evident on batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s face. The record-breaking batsman will bat for Mumbai after a gap of three years — against Railways in the Ranji Trophy opener at the Wankhede Stadium tomorrow.

Tendulkar chose to play the Ranji opener as a launch pad for the four-Test series against England starting November 15 in Ahmedabad.