Sachin Tendulkar turns back the clock, on the day he made his international debut
30 years ago today, the God of Cricket - Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in international cricket against Pakistan in Karachi. The arrival of Tendulkar was much hyped as he was only 16 years old when he got his maiden-call up and he was asked to face the fierce bowling line-up of Pakistan.
Tendulkar was welcomed with a barrage of bouncers from Pakistan bowlers, but he didn't back down with his gritty attitude. 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.
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 Younis who dismissed Tendulkar. It was also Waqar's debut match in the international stage.
"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.
After 30 years, Sachin still maintains his love for cricket as he posted a short video on Twitter playing cricket in indoor nets and wrote: "This is something that I love doing the most!"
Tendulkar 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.
Master Blaster completed his dream of winning World Cup in 2011 at his home ground Wankhede Stadium, where India beat Sri Lanka to win their second WC trophy.
