Sachin Tendulkar Turns 51: Cricket Legend's Journey from Humble Origins to Record-Breaking Glory

The first-ever Cricket World Cup was played in 1975 and just two years before that, Sachin Tendulkar was born in Mumbai. Often regarded as the “God of Cricket”, Tendulkar has ruled the world of cricket with his unparalleled batting techniques for more than two decades. He developed his interest in the sport at the age of 11. His elder brother Ajit Tendulkar encouraged him to follow his passion and took him to the late Ramakant Achrekar, who was a prominent coach in the Indian domestic circuit back then.

Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut in 1989 against Pakistan, going up against the likes of Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, and Wasim Akram at the tender age of just 16. That was just the beginning of a history. Before bidding adieu to international cricket in 2013, Tendulkar created and broke a truckload of records. As we celebrate The Little Master’s 51st birthday today, let’s take a look at his legendary career and records.

Sachin Tendulkar’s Career And Records

1. On December 11, 1988, 15-year-old Sachin Tendulkar made his first-class debut for Bombay against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy game. He scored a century in the match and became the youngest Indian ever to score a hundred on his first-class debut.
2. Sachin Tendulkar remains the only Indian cricketer to score a century on debut in each of the three domestic tournaments: Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy, and Deodhar Trophy. He is the youngest player to make his debut for Team India in Tests and ODIs.
3. When Sachin Tendulkar joined the Yorkshire cricket team in 1992, he became the first overseas player to represent a county club.
4. Sachin Tendulkar has played the most number of matches in international cricket. He has represented India in 664 matches across formats. He has registered a total of 34,347 runs and it is also a record. He is the only batter in history to score 100 international centuries.
5. Tendulkar is the all-time highest run-getter in Tests (15,921 runs) and ODIs (18,426 runs), He also holds the records for the most appearances in both formats (463 ODIs and 200 Tests).
6. Sachin Tendulkar has played the most matches in World Cups (45) as well as scored the most runs overall in the multi-nation tournament (2278 runs). Apart from Javed Miandad of Pakistan, he is the only cricketer in history to feature in six World Cup editions.
7. On February 24, 2010, in an ODI against South Africa in Gwalior, Tendulkar became the first batsman ever to score a double hundred in ODIs.
8. The Indian government has honoured Sachin Tendulkar with several sporting accolades. He was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 1994, the Khel Ratna Award in 1997, Padma Shri in 1998, Padma Vibushan in 2008, and Bharat Ratna in 2013.
9. Sachin Tendulkar was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.

Sachin Tendulkar’s Top Knocks

Sachin Tendulkar scored his first-ever century in international cricket in August 1990 in a Test match against England in Manchester. It is considered to be among his finest knocks in Test cricket, as it came in the fourth innings. His knock helped India earn a draw in the thrilling contest.

Sachin Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 241 in a Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2004. It was the fourth game of the series and Tendulkar failed to produce anything significant in the previous game. Despite not attempting a single cover drive in the match, Tendulkar put up a commendable performance against that formidable Australian bowling attack.

Sachin Tendulkar produced one of the greatest ODI innings in history when he scored a rampant 143 off 131 balls against Australia in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup. His knock came to be known as the “Desert Storm” because of the interruption caused by a sandstorm. Even though India lost that match, an ICC poll in 2020 concluded that it was Tendulkar’s greatest ODI knock of all time.

Sachin Tendulkar’s IPL Career

Sachin Tendulkar has featured in six seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since the inaugural edition in 2008. He has played 78 matches for Mumbai Indians and scored 2334 runs in total. He has notched 13 half-centuries and one hundred in the franchise competition.

In 2010, Mumbai Indians reached their first-ever IPL final, with Tendulkar winning the Orange Cap award for scoring 618 runs in 14 innings. At the time, that was the most runs scored by a batter in a single IPL campaign.

Tendulkar played his final game for the Mumbai-based franchise in the 2013 Champions League Twenty20 final where his team defeated Rajasthan Royals to claim the title.