New Delhi:It was an SMS message for birthday boy Sachin Tendulkar from teammate and vice-captain Rahul Dravid, who said the batting maestro's hunger for runs seemed to be growing with age.

"If anything, his hunger for runs is increasing day-by-day. Look at his record in the last couple of years, it is phenomenal," Dravid said in an informalinteraction organised by the Indian Women's Press Corps in New Delhi.

"Sachin is finding new and better ways to score runs. His appetite for runs is growing as he is getting older," he said when asked for his opinion on whether the batting genius had slowed down in recent times.

Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in One-dayers, celebrated his 31st birthday on Saturday.

Asked to comment on his controversial declaration which left Tendulkar stranded on an unbeaten 194 in the Multan Test, Dravid said "I think this (issue) is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

"It was a tough decision. I wish I had the advantage of hindsight and retrospect. Had I known the match would finish in four days, I might have done things differently."

The stylish right-hander added, "this has never been an issue between us. Whatever decision was taken, it was in the interest of the team. We share an understanding and it never became a personal issue."

Tags: indian vice-captain rahul dravid, master blaster sachin tendulkar, birthday wishes, multan test, declaration, leading run-scorer, one-day international.