His face reflected anxiety as well as happiness. It also, in a strange way, expressed tension and hope, the two emotions that rarely go together.
Watching Sachin Tendulkar smash the ball at nets on a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Nagpur's cricket stadium and later, talk to newsmen about his injury and return to match-play, was like watching a man who is embarking on a known path with hesitant steps.
For a man who has made cricket field his own fiefdom and has terrorised bowlers with his calculated, ruthless skills for well over 15 years now, Tendulkar was not his assured self.
He may never have been as articulate with words as he is with the bat but on Sunday, he was speaking fluently and those who heard him must have been touched and even felt slightly sad at the thought that Tendulkar is snow-stepping into unknown territory.
Unknown, because he is not too sure how his injured body will respond to five consecutive days of play. The last time he played a Test was six months ago and the last time he played an international match was three months ago.