5 records still held by Sachin Tendulkar in international cricket
On 15th November 1989, a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar walked out to bat, with India reeling at 41/4 in the backyard of arch-rivals Pakistan.
In just his first-ever international outing, the precocious teenager was up against one of the most fearsome fast-bowling lineups in world cricket at that time - Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan.
Expectedly, Tendulkar had an uncomfortable stay at the crease before he was eventually cleaned up by an in-swinger from Waqar Younis, another debutant in that game, when he was on 15.
During that series, Sachin Tendulkar lasted 487 balls and was dismissed six times. He managed to stay put at the crease for more than 80 balls per innings on that tour, despite facing Imran Khan and co. in their own backyard, which was a great deal in itself for a 16-year-old.
Sachin Tendulkar had announced his arrival on the international stage, and there would be no looking back from there as the Little Master would go on to enthral audiences worldwide while scoring runs and creating records galore along the way.
31 long years after first walking out to bat for India, Sachin Tendulkar remains the pride of the nation and has created his niche in the annals of the country's rich cricketing history.
Children picking up a cricket bat continue to imitate Sachin Tendulkar's mannerisms. He's the man who gave a tire manufacturer - MRF - an identity crisis, such has been the impact of Sachin Tendulkar.
The master blaster scored runs in every country he travelled to and thwarted every bowling attack he faced with elegance and poise that none else could match.
The way he tore apart the best of opposition attacks time and again was unparalleled. Sachin Tendulkar was the lone warrior and saviour with the bat for the Indian cricket team on numerous occasions.
The zenith of Sachin Tendulkar's career came undoubtedly in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which India won on home soil under the able leadership of MS Dhoni.
Five unbroken Sachin Tendulkar records in international cricket
Tendulkar's fabulous career transcended beyond numbers; chants of 'Sachiiiiiin, Sachiiin' still ring in the ears of his ardent fans eight long years after his retirement from the game.
Nevertheless, Sachin Tendulkar broke almost every major record in international cricket during his illustrious 24-year career. On that note, let's take a look at five such records that are still unbroken.
#1 Most runs in Tests as well as in ODIs
Sachin Tendulkar was an absolute run machine. Irrespective of the format, the little master dominated the best of bowling attacks for most of his career.
He loved batting for hours, especially in Test matches, where he amassed some unbelievable numbers. Tendulkar ended his 200-match career in white-ball cricket with a record tally of 15,921 runs to his name, doing so at an average of 53.71.
Sachin Tendulkar was a run machine in ODIs as well. He was the first-ever batsman to score a double hundred in the format. The Little Master conjured stunning numbers in the 50-over format of the game; he scored 18,426 runs and 49 centuries in 463 games, doing so at an impressive average of 44.83.
#2 Most Test centuries
Sachin Tendulkar has scored 51 centuries in the longest format of the game, which is astonishing. His favourite opposition was Australia, against whom the master racked up 11 centuries in 39 matches while scoring 3630 runs at an average of 55.
Tendulkar scored 29 of his 51 Test hundreds outside India: 17 of them came against South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.
These numbers prove beyond that Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t just a home-track bully. He was also able to dominate bowling attacks in all conditions.
#3 Longest ODI career
Sachin Tendulkar played international cricket for 24 years, which in itself is a huge deal. But this isn’t a record, as a few other players have had longer careers.
However, none of them comes close to Tendulkar's longevity when it comes to ODI cricket. Sachin Tendulkar’s 50-over career lasted for a staggering 22 years and 91 days, with the player racking up runs and records galore in the shorter format of the game.
#4 Most runs in World Cup history
Sachin Tendulkar featured in six World Cups for India. He played his first game at the mega event in 1992 and ended up winning the trophy in 2011 at his home ground, the Wankhede stadium, in his last appearance at the global tournament.
Like he did throughout his career, Sachin Tendulkar also amassed runs in the World Cup. He scored 2,278 runs across six World Cups, doing so at an astonishing average of 56.95.
Sachin Tendulkar has scored six centuries and 15 half-centuries in the competition. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, his 241 fours in the 50-over World Cup is also a record.
#5 Most Test matches
Sachin Tendulkar went on to play a staggering 200 Test matches during the course of his illustrious cricket career; no other player has played more than 168 (Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting).
The 200th game, Tendulkar's last in any format in international cricket, was against the West Indies at the Wankhede stadium in 2013.
In the contemporary era, this seems like a near-impossible record to break. With ODIs and T20 cricket gaining more popularity, there are fewer Test matches being played now, which means that Sachin Tendulkar's record of most Test matches could remain unmatched for a while.