Nervous Nineties

90, Australia, Mumbai (Wankhede), 27-2-1996

91, England, Sharjah, 11-12-1997

95, Pakistan, Dhaka, 14-1-1998

93, Pakistan, Hobart, 21-1-2000

93, South Africa, Nagpur, 19-3-2000

93, Sri Lanka, Dhaka, 1-6-2000

98, Pakistan, Centurion, 1-3-2003

97, Sri Lanka, Wanderers, 10-3-2003

93, Sri Lanka, Nagpur, 25-10-2005

95, Pakistan, Lahore, 13-2-2006

99, South Africa, Belfast, 26-6-2007

93, South Africa, Belfast, 29-6-2007

99, England, Bristol, 24-8-2007

94, England, The Oval, 5-9-2007

99, Pakistan, Mohali, 8-11-2007

97, Pakistan, Gwalior, 15-11-2007

91, Australia, Brisbane, 4-3-2008

96*, Sri Lanka, Cuttack, 21-12-2009

Return to old form and consistency

Return to old form and consistency :

In the subsequent series against Bangladesh, Tendulkar returned to his opening slot and was Man of the Series. He continued by scoring two consecutive scores of 90+ in the Future Cup against South Africa. He was the leading run scorer and was adjudged the Man of the Series.

Tendulkar celebrates upon reaching his 38th Test century against Australia in the 2nd Test at the SCG in 2008, where he finished not out on 154

On the second day of the Nottingham Test (28 July 2007) Tendulkar became the third cricketer to complete 11,000 Test runs.In the subsequent One day series against England, Tendulkar was the leading run scorer from India with an average of 53.42. In the ODI Series against Australia in October 2007 Tendulkar was the leading Indian run scorer with 278 runs.

Tendulkar was dismissed seven times in 2007 between 90 and 100, including three times at 99, leading some to suggest that he struggles to cope with nerves in this phase of his career. Tendulkar has got out 23 times between 90 and 100 in his international career. On 8 November 2007 he got out on 99 against Pakistan in an ODI at Mohali to the bowling of Umar Gul caught by Kamran Akmal. In the fourth ODI, he got out on 97 (off 102 balls with 16 fours) after dragging a delivery from Umar Gul on to his stumps, falling short of another century in ODIs in 2007.

Injuries and apparent Decline

Injuries and apparent decline :

Tendulkar continued his good form in Test cricket in 2001 and 2002, with some pivotal performances with both bat and ball. Tendulkar took three wickets on the final day of the famousKolkata Test against Australia in 2001. Tendulkar took the key wickets of Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, centurions in the previous test.

In the 2002 series in the West Indies, Tendulkar started well, scoring 79 in the first test, and 117 in the first innings of the second. Then, in a hitherto unprecedented sequence, he scored 0, 0, 8 and 0 in the next four innings, getting out to technical "defects" and uncharacteristically poor strokes. He returned to form in the last test scoring 41 and 86. However, India lost the series. This might have been the beginning of the "decline" phase in his career which lasted till 2006.

Tendulkar made 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, helping India reach the final. While Australia retained the trophy that they had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Tournament award.

He continued to score heavily in ODI cricket that year, with two hundreds in a tri series involving New Zealand and Australia.

The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003/04 saw Tendulkar making his mark in the last Test of the series, with 241* in Sydney, putting India in a virtually unbeatable position. He followed up the innings with an unbeaten 60 in the second innings of the test. Prior to this test match, he had had an unusually horrible run of form, failing in all six innings in the preceding three tests. It was no aberration that 2003 was his worst year in test cricket, with an average of 17.25 and just one fifty.

He scored an unbeaten 194 against Pakistan at Multan in the following series. The 194 was controversial in that he was stranded prior to reaching his double century as a result of adeclaration by Rahul Dravid. In meeting with the press that evening, Tendulkar responded to a question on missing 200 against Pakistan by stating that he was disappointed and that the declaration had taken him by surprise.Many former cricketers commented that Dravid's declaration was in bad taste.The media noted at the time that the decision had apparently been made by Sourav Ganguly, and Ganguly himself later admitted that it had been a mistake. The controversy was put to rest when Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and coach John Wright spoke to the media after the team's victory and stated that the matter was spoken internally and put to rest.

Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for most of the year, coming back only for the last two tests when Australia toured India in 2004. He played a part in India's victory in Mumbai in that series with a fast 55, though Australia took the series 2–1.

On 10 December 2005 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Tendulkar scored his record-breaking 35th Test century, against the Sri Lankans.

In the test series in Pakistan in 2006, Sachin failed to get going in all three innings despite the pitches being flat tracks. In the third of those three innings, he was bowled comprehensively after making 26, and ended up on all fours. This prompted The Times of India to publish an article entitled "Endulkar" in which TOI opined that Tendulkar's batting prowess had declined and his career had slid permanently.

On 6 February 2006, he scored his 39th ODI hundred, in a match against Pakistan. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second one-day international against Pakistan on 11 February 2006, and then a 95 in hostile, seaming conditions on 13 February 2006 in Lahore, which set up an Indian victory.

On 19 March 2006, after scoring an unconvincing 1 off 21 balls against England in the first innings of the third Test in his home ground, Wankhede, Tendulkar was booed off the ground by a section of the crowd, the first time that he had ever faced such flak. Tendulkar was to end the three-Test series without a single half-century to his credit, and news of a shoulder operation raised more questions about his longevity. Tendulkar was operated upon for his injured shoulder. In July 2006, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Tendulkar had overcome his injury problem following a rehabilitation programme and was available for selection, and he was eventually selected for the next series.

Tendulkar's comeback came in the DLF cup in Malaysia and he was the only Indian batsman to shine. In his comeback match, against West Indies on 14 September 2006, Tendulkar responded to his critics who believed that his career was inexorably sliding with his 40th ODI century. Though he scored 141*, West Indies won the rain-affected match by the D/L method.

In the preparation for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Tendulkar was criticized by Greg Chappell on his attitude.As per the report, Chappell felt that Tendulkar would be more useful down the order, while the latter felt that he would be better off opening the innings, the role he had played for most of his career. Chappell also believed that Tendulkar's repeated failures were hurting the team's chances. In a rare show of emotion, Tendulkar hit out at the comments attributed to Chappell by pointing out that no coach has ever suggested his attitude towards cricket is incorrect. On 7 April 2007, the Board of Control for Cricket in India issued a notice to Tendulkar asking for an explanation for his comments made to the media.

At the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, Tendulkar and the Indian cricket team, led by Rahul Dravid had a dismal campaign. Tendulkar, who was pushed to bat lower down the order by the Greg Chappell had scores of 7 (Bangladesh), 57* (Bermuda) and 0 (Sri Lanka). As a result, former Australian captain Ian Chappell, brother of the then Indian coach Greg, called for Tendulkar to retire in his column for Mumbai's Mid Day newspaper.[65]

During this period from about 2002 to 2006–7, Tendulkar's batting often seemed to be a shadow of its former self. He was inconsistent, and his big knocks mostly came in sedate, accumulative, uncharacteristic fashion. He seemed to have either cut out or lost the ability to play many shots, including the hook and pull and many other aerial strokes. He also developed a tendency to go without scoring much for long periods and become overtly defensive. While players such as Ponting and Kallis were at the peak of their careers, Sachin's seemed to be in terminal decline. There were several calls from him to retire too.

However after the 2007 World Cup, his career had a second wind and his consistency and form have returned.

Captaincy

Captaincy : 

Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. When Tendulkar took over as Captain in 1996, it was with huge hopes and expectations. However, by 1997 the team was performing poorly. Azharuddin was credited with saying "Nahin jeetega! Chote ki naseeb main jeet nahin hai!", which translates into: "He won't win! It's not in the small one's destiny".

Tendulkar, succeeding Azharuddin as captain for his second term, then led India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3–0 by the newly crowned world champions. Tendulkar, however, was at his usual best and won the player of the tournament award as well as player of the match in one of the games. After another Test series defeat, this time by a 0–2 margin at home against South Africa, Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain in 2000.

Tendulkar remains an integral part of the Indian team's strategic processes. He is often seen in discussion with the captain, at times actively involved in building strategies. Former captainRahul Dravid publicly acknowledged that Tendulkar had been suggesting moves such as the promotion of Irfan Pathan up the batting order which, although only temporary, had an immediate effect on the team's fortunes.

Rise through the ranks

Rise through the ranks

 
Tendulkar's performance through the years 1994–1999 coincided with his physical peak, in his early twenties. On the day of the Hindu festival Holi, Tendulkar was told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994.He went on to make 82 runs off 49 balls. He scored his first ODI century on 9 September 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo. It had taken him 79 ODIs to score a century.
In 1996 against Pakistan in Sharjah, Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin was going through a lean patch. Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhuboth made centuries to set a record partnership for the second wicket. After getting out, Tendulkar found Azharuddin in two minds to bat out. Tendulkar boosted Azharuddin to bat and Azharuddin subsequently unleashed 29 runs in mere 10 balls. It enabled India post a score in excess of 300 runs for the first time. India went on to win that match.
Tendulkar's rise continued when he was the leading run scorer at the 1996 Cricket World Cup, whilst scoring two centuries.He was the only Indian batsman to perform in the infamous semi-final of that World Cup. When Tendulkar's wicket fell, the Indian batting lineup collapsed and India conceded defeat after the crowd began angry demonstrations.
This was the beginning of a period at the top of the batting world, culminating in the Australian tour of India in early 1998, with Tendulkar scoring three consecutive centuries. These were characterized by a premeditated plan to target Australian spinners Shane Warne and Gavin Robertson, to whom he regularly charged down the pitch to drive over the infield. This technique worked as India beat Australia. The test match success was followed by two scintillating knocks in Sharjah where he scored two consecutive centuries in a must-win game and then in finals against Australia tormenting Shane Warne once again. Following the series Warne ruefully joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis. He also had a role with the ball in that series, including a five wicket haul in an ODI. Set 310 runs to win, Australia were cruising comfortably at 3 for 203 in the 31st over when Tendulkar turned the match for India taking wickets of Michael Bevan, Steve Waugh, Darren Lehmann, Tom Moody and Damien Martyn for just 32 runs in 10 overs.
Tendulkar single-handedly won the ICC 1998 quarterfinal at Dhaka to pave way for India's entry into the semifinals, when he took four Australian wickets after scoring 141 runs in just 128 balls.
A chronic back problem flared up when Pakistan toured India in 1999, with India losing the historic Test at Chepauk despite a gritty century from Tendulkar himself. The worst was yet to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, Tendulkar's father, died in the middle of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Tendulkar flew back to India to attend the final rituals of his father, missing the match against Zimbabwe. However, he returned with a bang to the World cup scoring a century (unbeaten 140 off 101 balls) in his very next match against Kenya in Bristol. He dedicated this century to his father.

International Early career

International career : Early career :

Tendulkar played his first Test match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989 aged just 16. He made just 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match, but was noted for how he handled numerous blows to his body at the hands of the Pakistani pace attack. In the final test in Sialkot, he was hit on the nose by a bouncer, but he declined medical assistance and continued to bat even as he gushed blood from it.In a 20 over exhibition game in Peshawar, Tendulkar made 53 runs off 18 balls, including an over in which he scored 28 runs off Abdul Qadir. This was later called "one of the best innings I have seen" by the then Indian captain Kris Srikkanth. In all, he scored 215 runs at an average of 35.83 in the Test series, and was dismissed without scoring a run in the only One Day International he played.
The series was followed by a tour of New Zealand in which he scored 117 runs at an average of 29.25 in, Tests including an innings of 88 in the Second Test.He was dismissed without scoring in one the two one-day games he played, and scored 36 in the other. On his next tour, to England in 1990, he became the second youngest cricketer to score a Test century as he made 119* at Old Trafford. Wisden described his innings as "a disciplined display of immense maturity" and also wrote:
"He looked the embodiment of India's famous opener, Gavaskar, and indeed was wearing a pair of his pads. While he displayed a full repertoire of strokes in compiling his maiden Test hundred, most remarkable were his off-side shots from the back foot. Though only 5ft 5in tall, he was still able to control without difficulty short deliveries from the English paceman."
Tendulkar further enhanced his development during the 1991–1992 tour of Australia, that included an unbeaten 148 in Sydney and a century on a fast, bouncing pitch at Perth. Merv Hughes commented to Allan Border at the time that "This little prick's going to get more runs than you, AB

Product and brand endorsements

Sachin Tendulkar endorses the following products:

Pepsi: 1992–Present 

Canon: 2006–2009

Airtel: 2004–2006

Nazara Technologies: 2005–2008. License for Mobile Content development based on Sachin.

Reliance Communications sub-licensed brand 'Sachin Tendulkar' to update the user of the latest 2007 Cricket 

World Cup scores and news in Sachin's voice. Hutch – ICC's prime communication sponsor protested calling Reliance's plan as 'ambush marketing', a charge that Reliance Communication denies.

Britannia: 2001–2007

HomeTrade: 2001–2002

Sunfeast: 2007–2013/14[111]

National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC): 2003–2005

Boost: 1990–Present

Action Shoes: 1995–2000[114]

Adidas: 2000–2010

Fiat Palio: 2001 to 2003

Reynolds: 2007–Present

TVS: 2002–2005

ESPN Star Sports: 2002–Present

G-Hanz: 2005–2007

Sanyo BPL: 2007–Present

AIDS Awareness Campaign: 2005

Colgate-Palmolive

Philips

MRF

VISA

Aviva

Royal Bank of Scotland Group

Business interests

Business interests

Tendulkar's immense popularity has led him to numerous profitable business dealings in the past. He currently has the most sponsorships out of all players in world cricket. Sachin Tendulkar was an early pioneer in India on cricket business dealings when he signed a then record sports management deal with Worldtel in 1995, the value of the deal being 30 crore rupees over five years.  His next contract with WorldTel in 2001 was valued at 80 crores over five years.  In 2006, he signed a contract with Saatchi and Saatchi's ICONIX values at 180 crores over three years.  He is the highest earning cricketer in the world.
Making use of his popularity, Tendulkar has opened two restaurants: 'Tendulkar's'  (Colaba, Mumbai) and 'Sachin's'  (Mulund, Mumbai). Sachin owns these restaurants in partnership with Sanjay Narang of Mars Restaurants. He has also got a new restaurant in Bangalore called Sachin's.
In 2007, Tendulkar also announced a JV with the Future Group and Manipal Group to launch healthcare and sports fitness products under the brand name 'S Drive and Sach'.  A series of comic books by Virgin Comics is also due to be published featuring him as a superhero.

Fan following

Fan following
Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, a die hard fan of Sachin who earned the privilege to get tickets to all home games of India for lifetime

Sachin Tendulkar's entry into world cricket was very much hyped up by former Indian stars and those who had seen him play. By scoring his first half-century in his second match and his first century aged 17, Tendulkar's consistent performances earned him a fan following across the globe, including amongst Australian crowds, where Tendulkar has consistently scored centuries.[46] One of the most popular sayings by Sachin's fans is "Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my God".[94] Cricinfo mentions in his profile that "... Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world."[95]

At home in Mumbai, Tendulkar's fan following is so great that he is unable to lead a normal life. Ian Chappell has said that he would be unable to cope with the lifestyle Tendulkar was forced to lead, having to "wear a wig and go out and watch a movie only at night".[81] In an interview with Tim Sheridan, Tendulkar admitted that he sometimes went for quiet drives in the streets of Mumbai late at night when he would be able to enjoy some peace and silence.[96]

Controversies

Mike Denness incident


Main article: Mike Denness and Indian cricket team incident
In the second test of India's 2001 tour of South Africa, match referee Mike Denness fined four Indian players for excessive appealing as well as the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly for not controlling his team.[84] Tendulkar was given a suspended ban of one game in light of alleged ball tampering. Television cameras picked up images that suggested Tendulkar may have been involved in cleaning the seam of the cricket ball in the second test match between India and South Africa at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth.[85] This can, under some conditions, amount to altering the condition of the ball. The match referee Mike Denness found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball tampering charges and handed him a one Test match ban.[86] The incident escalated to include allegations of racism,[87] and led to Mike Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third test match. After a thorough investigation, the International Cricket Council revoked the official status of the match and the ban on Tendulkar was lifted. Tendulkar's ball tampering charges and Sehwag's ban for excessive appealing triggered a massive backlash from the Indian public and even the Indian parliament.[88]

Controversy over Ferrari customs waiver


In commemorating Sachin Tendulkar's feat of equalling Don Bradman's 29 centuries in Test Cricket, automotive giant Ferrari invited Sachin Tendulkar to its paddock in Silverstone on the eve of the British Grand Prix (23 July 2002) to receive a Ferrari 360 Modena from the legendary F1 racer Michael Schumacher.[89] On 4 September 2002 India's then finance minister Jaswant Singh wrote to Sachin telling him that the government will waive customs duty imposed on the car as a measure to applaud his feat.[90] However the rules at the time stated that the customs duty can be waived only when receiving an automobile as a prize and not as a gift. It is claimed that the proposals to change the law (Customs Act) was put forth in Financial Bill in February 2003 and amended was passed as a law in May 2003. Subsequently the Ferrari was allowed to be brought to India without payment of the customs duty (Rs 1.13 Crores or 120% on the car value of Rs 75 Lakhs).[91] When the move to waive customs duty became public in July 2003, political and social activists protested the waiver[92] and filed PIL in the Delhi High Court. With the controversy snowballing, Sachin offered to pay the customs duty and the tab was finally picked up by Ferrari.[93] Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai.

Style Of Play

Tendulkar is cross-dominant: He bats, bowls and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand.[77] He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time".[1] His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes. He appears to show little preference for the slow and low wickets which are typical in India, and has scored many centuries on the hard, bouncy pitches in South Africa and Australia.[1] He is known for his unique punch style of hitting the ball over square. He is also renowned for his picture-perfect straight drive, often completed with no follow-through. Recently, legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, in an article he wrote in the AFP, remarked that "it is hard to imagine any player in the history of the game who combines classical technique with raw aggression like the little champion does".[5]
Sir Donald Bradman, considered by many as the greatest batsman of all time, considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. In his biography, it is stated that "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar."[78][79]



Tendulkar at the crease, getting ready to face a delivery
Former Australian cricket team coach John Buchanan voiced his opinion that Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork.[80] Buchanan also believes Tendulkar has a weakness while playing left-arm pace.[80] He was affected by a series of injuries since 2004. Since then Tendulkar's batting has tended to be less attacking. Explaining this change in his batting style, he has acknowledged that he is batting differently due to that fact that (1) No batsman can bat the same way for the entire length of a long career and (2) He is a senior member of the team now and thus has more responsibility. During the early part of his career he was a more attacking batsman and frequently scored centuries at close to a run a ball. Ian Chappell, former Australian player, recently remarked that "Tendulkar now, is nothing like the player he was when he was a young bloke".[81]
Tendulkar has incorporated several modern and unorthodox strokes into his repertoire in recent times, including the paddle sweep, the scoop over short fine leg and the slash to third man over the slips' heads, over the last seven or eight years. This has enabled him to remain scoring consistently in spite of the physical toll of injuries and a lean period in the mid-2000s. By his own admission, he does not bat as aggressively as he did in the 90s and early 2000s, because his body has undergone changes and cannot sustain aggressive shotmaking over a long period. He is often praised for his ability to adapt to the needs of his body and yet keep scoring consistently.
While Tendulkar is not a regular bowler, he is adept at bowling medium pace, leg spin, and off spin with equal ease. He often bowls when two batsmen of the opposite team have been batting together for a long period, as he can often be a useful partnership breaker. With his bowling, he has helped secure an Indian victory on more than one occasion.[82] He has taken 44 test match wickets and is the ninth highest wicket taker for India in ODIs.[83]

Records

1. Sachin Tendulkar is the Highest Run scorer in the One day Internationals

2. Sachin Tendulkar is the Highest Run scorer in the Test Cricket

3. Most number of hundreds in the ODI 42

4. Most number of hundreds in the Tests 41

5. Most number of nineties in the ODI

6. Most number of man of the matches(57) in the ODI's

7. Most number of man of the series(15) in ODI's

8. Best average for man of the matches in ODI's

9. First Cricketer to pass 10000 run in the ODI

10. First Cricketer to pass 15000 run in the ODI

11. He is the highest run scorer in the world cup (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20 March 2007)

12. Most number of the man of the matches in the world cup

13. Most number of runs 1996 world cup 523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16

14. Most number of runs in the 2003 world cup 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup

15. Man of the Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

16. Most number of Fifties in ODI's 90

17. He is the only player to be in top 10 ICC ranking for 10 years.

18. He is one of the three batsmen to surpass 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first Indian to do so.

19. First and only cricketer to get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. India's highest sporting honor

20. In 2003, Wisden rated Tendulkar as d No. 1 and Richards at No. 2 in all time Greatest ODI player

21. In 2002, Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman after Sir Donald Bradman.

22. he was involved in unbroken 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield game in 1988 with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli.

23. Tendulkar is the only player to score a century in all three of his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debuts

24. In 1992, at the age of 19, Tendulkar became the first overseas born player to represent Yorkshire

25. Tendulkar has been granted the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Padma vibhushan by Indian government. He is the only Indian cricketer to get all of them. And the only cricketer to receive Padma vibhushan.

26. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 runs in a calendar year in ODI's 8 times

27. Tendulkar has scored 1894 runs in calendar year in ODI's most by any batsman

28.First batsman in the history who was given out through third umpire.

29. He has the least percentage of the man of the matches awards won when team looses a match. Out of his 57 man of the match awards only 5 times India has lost.

30. Tendulkar most number man of match awards(11) against Australia

31. Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 50 centuries in international cricket

32. Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 75 centuries in international cricket:79 centuries

33. Has the most overall runs in cricket, (ODIs+Tests+Twenty20s), as of 30 June 2007 he had accumulated almost 26,000 runs overall.

34. Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,271 runs in 128 matches

35. The 20 century partnerships for opening pair with Sourav Ganguly is a world record

36. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999

37. Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid

38. Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998

39. Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs (41 Centuries and 87 Fifties)(as of 18th Nov, 2007)

40. the only player ever to cross the 13,000-14,000 - 15, 000and 16,000 run marks IN ODI.

41. Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999).

42. The score of 186* is listed the fifth highest score recorded in ODI matches

43. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.

44. Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs

45. Most number of Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds

46. Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185

47. On his debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant in the world

48. When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century

49. Tendulkar's record of five test centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record

50. Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side

51. Tendulkar has scored centuries against all test playing nations.[7] He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten

52. Tendulkar has 4 seasons in test cricket with 1000 or more runs - 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs), 2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs).[6] Gavaskar is the only other Indian with four seasons of 1000+ runs

53. He is second most number of seasons with over 1000 runs in world.

54. On 3 January 2007 Sachin Tendulkar (5751) edged past Brian Lara's (5736) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home

55. Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings

56. Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches

57. Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and Brian Lara.

58. Tendulkar is fourth on the list of players with most Test caps. Steve Waugh (168 Tests), Allan Border (158 Tests), have appeared in more games than Tendulkar

59. Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches(156) for India (Kapil Dev is second with 131 Test appearances).

60. First to 25,000 international runs

61. Tendulkar's 25,000+ runs in international cricket include 16000+ runs in ODI's, 12,000+ Tests runs and 10 runs in the lone Twenty20 that India has played.

62. On December 10, 2005, Tendulkar made his 35th century in Tests at Delhi against Sri Lanka. He surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 centuries to become the man with the most number of hundreds in Test cricket.

63. Tendulkar is the only player who has 150 wkts and more than 15000 runs in ODI

64. Tendulkar is the only player who has 40 wkts and more than 11000 runs in Tests 

Sachin Biography

Full Name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Born: April 24, 1973, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Major teams: India, Mumbai, Yorkshire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow medium pace and spin

Achievements:

• Most runs and most centuries in ODIs
• Highest number of Test centuries
• First cricketer to make 10,000 runs in ODIs
• Most runs in World Cup history
• Highest individual score by an Indian (186 not out)
• Most Man of the Man awards in ODIs
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for 1997-98

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, generally known as Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian Cricket player who is considered to be one of the all time greatest batsmen to have ever played the game of Cricket. The renowned Cricket magazine Wisden ranked Sachin Tendulkar the 2nd all time greatest Test Cricket batsman, only after Sir Donald Bradman at the 1st place in the year 2002. Also, the magazine ranked him the 2nd all time greatest ODI batsman after Viv Richards at the first spot.

Accolades
Shane Warne, the leg spinner from Australia had once remarked Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with, and Tendulkar, also known as the Little Master has also to his credit the honor of being the only player of the current generation who was included by Sir Donald Bradman in his dream team named Bradman’s Eleven.

Sachin Tendulkar is the batsman to have scored the biggest number of runs both in Test Cricket and ODI Cricket the world over, and has also to his credit the biggest number of centuries in both the forms of the game. He has scored over 80 centuries in the game of Cricket till now, and is the first batsman ever to score more than 50 centuries.

He is the first Cricket player who has scored over 10,000 runs in the One Day International (ODI) Cricket. Sachin has been conferred upon the Padma Vibhushan award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for his services to the nation as a sportsperson.

Early Life
Sachin Tendulkar was born on 24th of April, 1973 in Mumbai to a Marathi Novelist, Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin got inspired to play cricket from his elder brother Ajit, and started playing the game at an early age in his school, Sharadashram Vidya Mandir. Under the guidance of his coach, Ramakant Achrekar, he learnt the basics of the game and showed his prowess along with his school mate and another future batsman of the Indian team, Vinod Kambli.

Test and ODI Debut
Sachin Tendulkar made his Test Cricket debut with a Test match played against Pakistan in Karachi in the year 1989, in which he scored 15 runs before being bowled out by Waqar Younis, a yet another Cricketer who debuted with this match. He began his ODI Cricket career in a match against Pakistan played on 18th of December 1989 at Gujranwala, Pakistan. He could, though, not make a single run in this match and just after facing 2 balls was caught by Wasim Akram on a Waqar Younis ball.

Remarkable Achievements
Tendulkar has shown some of his best batting performances against the Cricket team of Australia, one of the strongest teams during his period. As a matter of fact, the legendry Sir Donald Bradman had at one time reportedly told her wife that the playing style of Sachin reminded him of his own game in his youth.

Sachin has always created new records and destroyed innumerable of them that had been already established. At the age of 17 years he scored his first Test century, and by the age of 25 he had scored 16 of them. At the moment he is the Cricketer with largest number of Test and ODI centuries to his credit, and outclassed Brian Lara as the biggest Test scorer in the year 2008.

Captaincy
Twice in his Cricket career, Sachin had been nominated the Captain of the Indian Cricket team, but none of them proved to be much successful. Also, the pressure of Captaincy took a toll upon his performance as a batsman.

Overall Performance
In his overall Test Career till April 2009, Sachin Tendulkar has played 159 Test matches and has scored 12773 runs in them, including 42 centuries and 53 half-centuries, with an average of 54.58 runs and a highest score of 248 Not Out. In these matches, he also grabbed 44 wickets giving away 2272 runs at an average of 51.63 runs.

In his One Day International (ODI) Cricket career, however, Sachin has played 425 matches till April 2009, and scored 16684 runs including 43 centuries and 91 half-centuries, with an average of 44.37 runs and a highest score of 186 Not Out.

Awards and Recognitions
For his great capabilities as a Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar has been bestowed upon the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. The Cricket magazine Wisden named him the Cricketer of the year in 1997, and according to Wisden 100, he is the 2nd Best Test Batsman and the Best ODI Bestman of all times.

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	166	271	29	13447	248*	55.56			47	54		55	104	0
ODIs	442	431	41	17598	200*	45.12	20401	86.26	46	93	1927	185	134	0
T20Is	1	1	0	10	10	10.00	12	83.33	0	0	2	0	1	0
First-class	268	422	45	22336	248*	59.24			74	100			172	0
List A	529	516	55	21150	200*	45.87			57	111			169	0
Twenty20	25	25	3	750	69	34.09	599	125.20	0	5	95	17	14	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	166	130	3994	2299	44	3/10	3/14	52.25	3.45	90.7	0	0	0
ODIs	442	267	8020	6817	154	5/32	5/32	44.26	5.10	52.0	4	2	0
T20Is	1	1	15	12	1	1/12	1/12	12.00	4.80	15.0	0	0	0
First-class	268		7359	4191	69	3/10		60.73	3.41	106.6		0	0
List A	529		10196	8445	201	5/32	5/32	42.01	4.96	50.7	4	2	0
Twenty20	25	8	93	123	2	1/12	1/12	61.50	7.93	46.5	0	0	0