When Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar made his test debut against Pakistan as a 16-year-old, little did the world know that the curly-haired teenager would one day become one of the greatest cricketers of the game. In his homeland, India, Sachin is more than just a popular sportsperson; he is considered an institution in himself. He is not just loved and respected, but revered. Fondly called the ‘God of Cricket’ by his fans, Sachin ruled the game for well over two decades—a very rare feat for a sportsperson. Widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen ever, he is the only player to have scored 100 international centuries. Born into a middle-class family in Bombay, he started playing cricket while he was still a little boy, and made his international test debut at the age of 16! And thus began the journey of a cricketer who would smash several long-standing records and create new ones. Keeping in view his awesome performance, he was made the captain of the Indian team. Captaincy however did not suit him, and he gave up captaincy. In spite of his iconic status, Sachin is known to be a simple and principled man, which further adds to his popularity.
CARRER & LIFE STYLE
He embarked on his domestic first-class career in 1988, playing for Mumbai and scored a century in his very first match. He ended the season as the highest run scorer.
Thanks to his impressive performance in first-class matches, he was soon selected for the national team. He made his international test debut against Pakistan in November 1989, aged just 16.
Even though he could not score many runs in the series, he got noticed both for his batting technique and his dedication to the sport. He also made his debut in One Day International (ODI) in 1989.
During the 1991-92 tour of Australia, he made 148 runs in one of the matches and 114 in another, batting against reputed bowlers like Merv Hughes, Craig McDermott, and Bruce Reid.
Asked to open the batting against New Zealand in an ODI in 1994, he set the stadium on fire, blasting 82 runs off just 49 balls. The very same year, he made his first ODI century against Australia.
In 1998, Australia was on a tour to India, and the series was hyped as ‘Sachin versus Warne’ contest. Sachin blasted Warne in the series, and made two centuries in the three-test series. Sachin played a vital role in India’s win in the series.
Sachin had two brief stints as captain of Indian cricket team, and both of them were not very successful. He took over as captain in 1996 but the team performed poorly, and he gave up captaincy in 1997. He was once again made the captain in 1999 but was not very successful and gave up captaincy the same year.
India was one of the favorites to win the 2003 ‘Cricket World Cup’ where he performed superbly, making 673 runs in 11 matches to help India reach the finals. The team however lost the finals to Australia, and Sachin was adjudged ‘Man of the Tournament.’
After going through a difficult phase, he regained his form in 2007, completing 11,000 test runs to become the leading run scorer from India. In the ‘Border-Gavaskar Trophy’ in 2007–08, he scored 493 runs in four tests, demonstrating his unbelievable batting skills.
You must be logged in to post a comment.