A true champion of many firsts, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has added another gem to his innumerable cricketing collection by getting to another world record 35 Test Century. This particular feat may yet be his most triumphant moment surpassing the great Sunil Gavaskar and comes at a time when Tendulkar is making a comeback after a string of injuries which had almost threatened to end his prodigious career. A magical batsman whose run making ways has always remained enigmatic so much so that even his age (33 years) has not been able to keep up with the number of Test or ODI hundreds he has scored. This only confirms his place in cricketing lore as the most prolific batsman to have played the game. Even a Don Bradman considered the greatest ever batsman should find a name for Tendulkar in his memorabilia.
The first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket, today this run tally reads at 13642 laced with another record 38 ODI centuries. Tendulkar is also the fastest to score 10,000 runs in test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings. To go with this he has now 35 hundreds in Test cricket at an average of 57. An average above 50 distinguishes a batsman as an all time great and among those who have played over 100 test matches, he is the only one with a batting average above 55.
A genius without a doubt, Tendulkar has come a long way since he made his International debut in ODI’s and Tests at the age of 16 against Pakistan. Many will recall through television footages Tendulkar’s baptism against the fiery pace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He then went to England as a part of the national side, and has not looked back ever since. Later as he began unleashing his stroke play against opposition bowlers around the world he was thrown with the mantle as the next master-blaster following the legacy of the great West Indian Vivian Richards. Tendulkar has not disappointed but rather has left a trail that will test the limits of greatness.
As Tendulkar looks ahead to the Post-35 period of his career he would be well aware of the fact that while he seems to play his best cricket against the best teams, he has been criticized for not leading India to more Test match victories away from home. Having said this, Tendulkar’s contribution to the game and his role in attracting a mass following goes beyond his record or even failures. With dazzling brilliance Tendulkar has earned respect from fans and cricketers around the world due to his down-to-earth nature which he maintains despite being treated as a national icon and a demi-god of sorts. Perhaps the biggest reminder of his fame, Tendulkar was recently made a textbook lesson in Indian schools so that children can draw inspiration from his achievements.
