Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history. The Mumbai batsman, in an international career spanning 24 years, achieved the highs which were unheard of. He not only revolutionalized batting across formats, but also, with his incredible qualities and remarkable consistency, stood apart as a sporting icon in India.
And today marks the 30th anniversary of Tendulkar's debut in international cricket. Sachin, then 16, with his famous unruly curly hair, entered the cricket field for the first time in Indian whites against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989.
It was a difficult start for Sachin, however. He was up against a bowling attack comprising of Wasim Akram and Imran Khan, and newcomer Waqar Younis - who would go on to join Akram in one of the fiercest pace duos in cricket. To add to the pressure, Sachin entered with the bat for the first time when India were struggling at 41/4. K Srikanth, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sanjay Manjrekar and Manoj Prabhakar scored a combined total of 16 runs.
Tendulkar was welcomed with a barrage of bouncers. Wasim Akram also revealed years later that the Pakistan bowlers - including him, also sledged Sachin in addition to attacking the Mumbai batsman with short-pitched deliveries.
"Ahead of India's tour of Pakistan in 1989, we were reading in the papers that a young sensation (Sachin Tendulkar) is coming this time. I was 20, Waqar (Younis) was 18 I guess, so we thought how could a 16-year-old kid be so good that he is going to play Test cricket," said Akram speaking at India Today’s Salaam Cricket conclave 2019.
"So when Sachin came, in his first Test we attacked him both with the ball and mouth but even at 16, he gave no reaction. It was a sign of a top batsman as good batsmen they don't react to sledging and keep focusing on their game."
While Sachin kept calm, his innings didn't last long. The 16-year-old would eventually be dismissed on 15, facing 24 deliveries. Incidentally, it was Waqar who dismissed Tendulkar.
"I thought I was completely out of place. I thought that was my first and last Test. I walked back with a lot of embarrassment and I went to the washroom, I looked at my face in the mirror and thought that was it. I wanted just another opportunity to prove myself," Tendulkar said earlier this year in an event, talking about his debut.
But the 'Master Blaster' gave a glimpse of his abilities in the rest of the series. He scored 59 in the first innings of the second Test and 57 in the second innings of the fourth Test as the series ended in a draw. A few months later, on August 14, 1990, Tendulkar would score his first Test hundred during India's tour of England.
He represented India in 200 Tests, scoring 15921 runs at a staggering average of 53.78. He also holds the record for playing the most number of ODIs (463) and scoring the most number of runs (18426). Sachin is also the first batsman to score a double-hundred in ODIs. He lifted the World Cup at Wankhede Stadium, his home ground, in 2011. He was the highest run-getter in the tournament.
