Sachin Tendulkar
Legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar ended the long wait for his 100th international century by reaching the three-figure mark in Asia Cup against Bangladesh. On May 16, 2012, Tendulkar added another feather to his already illustrious hat by becoming the first-ever cricketer to score 100 international tons.
Often hailed among the best batsmen to grace the sport, Tendulkar achieved the feat at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. He stitched a 113-run stand with Virat Kohli after India suffered an early blow in the form of opener Gautam Gambhir. However, after Kohli's dismissal, it was Suresh Raina who lent support to Tendulkar.
Raina was also at the non-striker's end when Tendulkar etched his name into record books by notching up 100th international hundred. The Little Master ended up scoring 114 runs from 147 balls, steering India's total to 289/5 in 50 overs. Though Bangladesh hunted down the total with four deliveries to spare, Tendulkar was all over the news for achieving the unpreceedented milestone.
Raina, who also shared the dressing room with Tendulkar during the 2011 World Cup, revealed how the legendary player reacted after ticking off another staggering achievement.
“After he took a single off Shakib [Al Hasan] to reach the milestone, I congratulated him saying, ‘Well done, paaji, it was due for so many months.’ He said, ‘My hair has turned grey waiting for this moment.’ That’s when I realised how much mental weight he was carrying all that while,” Raina was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.
Last year, Raina bid adieu to international cricket along with MS Dhoni. The duo announced their decision through social media in August, weeks before the start of the much-awaited IPL 2020. Raina also withdrew from the T20 tournament in the UAE citing personal reasons. The left-hander also said that being at the non-striker’s end as Tendulkar scored his 100th century was one of the many memorable moments he shared with the Master Blaster.
“I had many memorable moments with paaji once I started playing for India. The biggest one obviously is winning the 2011 World Cup, but apart from that, winning the CB series in Australia [in 2008], the ODI and Test series in New Zealand [in 2008-09] and becoming the No. 1 Test team. I was at the other end when paaji scored his 100th international hundred," said Raina.
