Harry Potter's magic wand fails to cast spell on Sachin

London, July 24 (UNI) As kids lapped up more than a record three million copies in the first week of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' release, obscurity was the last thing wizard Daniel Radcliffe could have expected on his 18th birthday.

But non-recognition he did confront and that too at the hands of none other than Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

While the rest of the world made a beeline for Radcliffe's latest flick 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', the actor himself spent his arrival into adulthood by visiting Lords to watch the last day of the first Test match between England and India.

Even as the world around him is gripped by the 'Potter Mania', Tendulkar and Strauss failed to recognise the innocent-looking actor while signing autographs for the red hot wizard.

''I've got Sachin Tendulkar's and Andrew Strauss's autograph - they were not aware who it was who was asking for their autograph,'' Radcliffe boasted.

''They were doing the thing that I do when I am in a crowd of people, which is to just keep your head down and keep moving as you sign,'' he was quoted as saying by 'The Independent'.

Staruss also sat in the Edrich Stand and then in the Compton Stand unrecognised for much of the time.

For Harry Potter, aka Radcliffe, who is more used to bowling maidens over in his guise as the apprentice wizard, it was a first visit to a cricket match.

On what brought him to a cricket ground of all places to celebrate his 18th birthday, Radcliffe, who was sporting an England replica shirt, told a scribe yesterday ''The tabloid newspapers expected me to have some massive, extravagant birthday bash with lots of celebrities.

''But that is not my thing. Just to come here was a bit of a dream, really. I have never been to a cricket match before. I am 18 today and I'm very excited.'' Not so long ago Strauss made prominent appearances in young Radcliffe's nightmares during the Windies series.

''I very vividly remember him [Strauss] chasing me with a cricket bat, and it was during the West Indies series, where he wasn't in the greatest of form.

''I mentioned [the dream] in a subsequent interview and I heard this Australian voice in the back of the room say, 'Don't worry, mate, he wouldn't be able to hit you even if he caught you'.'' Once Strauss learnt Radcliffe was to be interviewed, he wasted no time in telling the journalist to take a Harry Potter book to be signed for his son, Sam, aged 20 months.

However, Radcliffe reveals he had not always been a cricket fan but after watching England's Paul Collingwood crack a double hundred Down Under, he developed a liking for the game.

''I got into it during the Ashes in which we were whitewashed, simply because of Paul Collingwood's double hundred at Adelaide, which is why he is my favourite player.

''The thing about Collingwood's innings was the celebration when he got his double hundred. It was so impassioned, really inspirational. It was great. He gave a great cry, it was quite primeval and scary in a way, but I liked it all the same.'' UNI