The game of cricket has produced several legends. From Don Bradman to Brian Lara and Shane Warne, several cricketers have had a massive influence on the game over the decades. However, none could match the impact Sachin Tendulkar made to the sport. Not only did Tendulkar achieve many records on the field, but he was and still remains a highly sought-after sportsperson for endorsements and at various events.
His contribution to Indian cricket inspired several to pick up the bat. Everyone in India wants to become the next Sachin Tendulkar, who is also widely regarded as the God of Cricket.
Not only in India, Sachin Tendulkar is famous even in countries where cricket isn’t a major sport. “I don’t know cricket; I don’t know how Sachin plays. But I still try to watch him play because I want to know why my country’s economy goes down 0.5% when he’s batting.” – Former US President Barack Obama had reportedly once said of the batsman.
Tendulkar made his international debut for India in a Test match in 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi, and went on to play the game across formats for over two decades. The Master Blaster achieved several feats in his glorious career. Take a look.
Why Sachin is called God of cricket? Combined records in Tests and ODIs
Most runs in international cricket – Sachin Tendulkar scored a total of 34,357 runs in international cricket, which is the most by any player. He is also the highest run-scorer in both the Test and ODI format. Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in Test cricket, and 18,426 runs in ODI cricket.
Most centuries in international cricket: Tendulkar scored 100 international centuries, which is also the most by any player in the game’s history. This includes most Test centuries by any player (51), and also most ODI centuries (49). He reached his century of centuries on in 2012 against Bangladesh in an ODI.
Most Man of the Match awards in international cricket: Tendulkar won 76 Man of the Match awards in international cricket, which is the most by any player. This also includes most Man of the Match awards in ODI World Cup matches – nine.
ODI records
Most runs in a single calendar year: In 1998, the batsman scored 1,894 runs in ODI cricket, which is the most by any player in a single calendar year.
First cricketer to score a double century in ODIs: He achieved this feat on February 24, 2010, against South Africa in Gwalior. Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 200 runs off 147 balls, which was laced with 25 boundaries and three sixes.
Most ODI centuries in a calendar year: Tendulkar scored nine centuries in ODI cricket in the year 1998, a record which is yet to be broken. The nine centuries came in just 34 matches.
Most boundaries in ODIs – Tendulkar also holds the record for most boundaries in ODIs – 2,016.
1000+ ODI runs in a year on seven occasions – This is one of the very special records held by Tendulkar in the 50-over format. He scored 1,000+ runs in a calendar year in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007.
Most runs in a world Cup – Tendulkar scored 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup held in South Africa. He averaged an impressive 61.18 with a highest score of 152.
Test records
Most Test centuries by an Indian batsman in a calendar year: Tendulkar scored seven centuries in 2010, a year in which he scored a total of 1562 runs in 14 games at an average of 78.10
1,000+ Test runs in a calendar year on six occasions – Like in the ODIs, Tendulkar also scored 1000+ runs in a single year each in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2010.
Most capped player in Test Cricket – Tendulkar played 200 Test matches between 1989 and 2013. After making his debut for India at the age of 16, the prolific batsman went on to have a career spanning 24 years, which is a testament to his consistency as a player.
The youngest Indian to score a Test hundred –Tendulkar achieved this feat at the age of 17 years and 107 days against England in 1990.
Most overseas Test hundreds – With 29 Test centuries outside India – the most by any player overseas – Tendulkar further proved why he was a special player.
Domestic records
Tendulkar also holds a special record in domestic cricket. He is the only player to have scored a hundred on his Ranji Trophy debut, Duleep Trophy debut and Irani Trophy debut.
Famous quotes on Tendulkar
Plenty of greats of the game have spoken special words about the greatest among them all. From cricketers to commentators and broadcasters, they all reserved their best of compliments for the batting maestro.
“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don’t know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.” – BBC Sports.
“I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two… his compactness, technique, stroke production… it all seemed to gel.” – Sir Donald Bradman.
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