New Delhi. Sachin Tendulkar, known as ‘God of Cricket’, is celebrating his 53rd birthday today. This day of 24th April is no less than a celebration for world cricket. In 1989, when a 16-year-old curly-haired boy came to the crease in front of the dangerous bowlers of Pakistan, hardly anyone thought that this journey would write the most golden pages of history. Today, when Sachin is completing another decade of his life, it is natural to discuss some of the records in his name, which are not only amazing, but also seem to be safe for the coming 50 years. Let us understand those 10 incredible records of Sachin through this magical world of statistics, breaking which is a challenge like climbing ‘Everest’ even for today’s greats.
The biggest mark of Sachin Tendulkar’s career is his 100 international centuries. Scoring a super century by combining all three formats of cricket is a feat which is like a dream for any player. Currently, Virat Kohli is definitely behind him with 85 centuries, but between the news of retirement from T20 and Test and the decreasing number of ODI matches, it seems impossible for him to score the next 15 centuries. Not only centuries, Sachin’s mountain of runs is also equally huge. He has scored 34,357 runs in 664 international matches of his career. The thing to note is that till date no other batsman in the world has been able to touch the figure of 30 thousand runs. Apart from 100 centuries, he also has 164 half-centuries in his name, which testifies to his consistency.
10 great records of Sachin Tendulkar on his birthday.
Unbroken reign in Test and ODI
If we look at the format, Sachin has left his mark everywhere. He has scored ‘half century’ of centuries in Test cricket. He is the only player in the world to score 51 Test centuries. Currently, Joe Root is close with 41 centuries, but he still needs 11 more centuries to reach Sachin’s magical figure, which seems very difficult amidst the uncertainties of Test cricket. Sachin’s dominance in the ODI format continues even today. He played 463 ODI matches between 1989 and 2012 and scored 18,426 runs. After him, Virat Kohli’s name comes in this list, but he too is still about 4 thousand runs behind. The way senior players take a break from ODI matches in today’s times, it seems impossible for any modern batsman to surpass Sachin’s number of matches and runs.
Cricket’s longest journey
Sachin Tendulkar made his debut at the age of just 16 and continued playing for the country till the age of 40. His international cricket career lasted 24 years and 1 day. In today’s times where workload management and injuries cut players’ careers short, playing at the top level for two and a half decades is a miracle. Similarly, his journey in ODI cricket lasted for 22 years and 91 days. Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka definitely came close to him after playing for 21 years, but he too could not leave Sachin behind. This record shows the level of Sachin’s fitness and his dedication towards the game.
Highest presence and respect on the field
Sachin Tendulkar is the player who has played the most international matches in the world. A total of 664 matches are registered in his name. Mahela Jayawardene retired after coming close to this record with 652 matches. Among the current players, Virat Kohli is active with 559 matches, but after the changing nature of cricket and the decision to play in limited formats, it is almost impossible for him to play the next 104 matches. Not only this, Sachin not only used to come on the field but also helped his team win. In ODI cricket, he has won the title of ‘Player of the Match’ the maximum number of 62 times. Virat Kohli has received this honor 45 times, but to equal Sachin’s record, he will have to perform 18 more such performances where he will be chosen as the best player of the match.
A unique all-round record
People often remember Sachin just as a great batsman, but he was equally clever with the ball. Sachin Tendulkar has a record in ODI cricket which will rarely be broken. He is the only player in the world who has scored more than 15,000 runs and also taken more than 150 wickets (total 154 wickets). His ‘Golden Arm’ led India to victory in many matches where specialist bowlers had failed.
