Happy Birthday Sachin Tendulkar! The 'Master Blaster' turns 48
Widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the history of the sport, Sachin Tendulkar turned 48 on April 24, 2021. Known as the 'Master Blaster' for his exploits with the cricket bat, Tendulkar holds the record for most runs in ODIs and Test history.
In a career that spanned 24 years, Tendulkar represented India in 200 Tests and 463 ODIs. While he amassed 15,921 runs in the longest format of the game with a brilliant average of 53.8, Tendulkar scored 18,426 runs in ODIs.
Tendulkar is the only batsman till date to score hundred international centuries -- reaching the feat in 2012 with a hundred against Bangladesh in an Asia Cup tie. He is also the first batsman to reach the 200-run mark in ODI cricket. He achieved the feat against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24, 2010.
The Mumbai-born former cricketer made his debut at the age of 16 against Pakistan in 1989, and never looked back since. Even as he visibly struggled in his first Test innings, (Sachin admitted during the later stages of his career that he thought he won't be able to get another game for India), Tendulkar made a bright comeback, slamming a gritty half-century in the fourth Test of the series to aid India to a draw.
In his 24-year long career, Tendulkar played in six World Cups and produced some magical performances for India. He scored six centuries in World Cups, slamming two each in the 1996 and 2011 edition. The wait for the coveted global trophy finally ended in the latter one, in which Tendulkar lifted the title in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
He played his final match for India in November 2013, when West Indies toured India for a Test series. His final match came at the Wankhede Stadium, too - which, incidentally, was also his 200th Test.
In 1994, Tendulkar received the Arjuna Award, and three years later, he received the highest sporting honour in the country --the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. Following his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2013, he was conferred with the highest civilian honour in India -- the Bharat Ratna.
In the Indian Premier League, Tendulkar played the entirety of his career for Mumbai Indians. In 78 matches for the franchise, the 'Master Blaster' scored 2,334 runs, slamming one century and 13 half-centuries.
Recently, Tendulkar also made a comeback to the cricket field in the Road Safety World Series, representing the India Legends series. He led the side to victory in the tournament, and ended as the third-highest run-scorer (highest for the India Legends side), with 233 runs in seven innings.
