Name : Sachin Tendulkar

Full name : Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Nick name :The Master Blaster, The Little Champion, The Bombay Bomber
Height : 5′4”
Born : 24-04-1973
Birth place: Bombay, India
Test Debut: Pakistan at Karachi, 1st Test, 1989/90
ODI Debut: Pakistan at Gujranwala, 2nd ODI, 1989/90
1st Class Debut: 1988
Major Teams: Mumbai, Yorkshire, India
Known As: Sachin Tendulkar
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break, Leg Break, Right Arm Medium, Leg Break
Googly
Marital Status: Married
Wife�s Name: Anjali Tendulkar
Children: Two (One Boy and One Girl)
Girl�s Name: Sarah Tendulkar
Boy�s Name: Arjun Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer. He holds several
batting records, including the most Test centuries and the most one-day international
centuries, and was rated in 2002 by Wisden as the second greatest Test batsman ever,
after Sir Don Bradman[1]. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest
sporting honour, for 1997-1998, and the civilian award Padma Shri in 1999. Tendulkar
was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997.

Early days

Born in Mumbai (then Bombay) into a middle-class family, Sachin Tendulkar was named
after his family’s favourite music director Sachin Dev Burman. He went to Sharadashram
Vidyamandir School where he started his cricketing career under coach Ramakant
Achrekar. While at school, he was involved in a mammoth 664 run partnership in a
Harris Shield game with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli. In 1988/1989, he scored
100 not-out in his first first-class match, for Bombay against Gujarat. At 15 years and 232
days he was the youngest to score a century on debut.

International career

Sachin played his first international match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989, facing the
likes of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Abdul Qadir, and Waqar Younis. He made just 15
runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match. It was an
inauspicious start, but Tendulkar followed it up with his maiden Test fifty a few days
later at Faisalabad. His One-day International (ODI) debut on December 18 was equally
disappointing, where he was dismissed without scoring a run, again by Waqar Younis.
The series was followed by a non-descript tour of New Zealand in which he fell for 88 in
a Test match, John Wright, who would later coach India, pouching the catch that
prevented Tendulkar from becoming the youngest centurion in Test cricket. The long
anticipated maiden Test century came in England’s tour in 1990 but the other scores were
not remarkable. Tendulkar truly came into his own in the 1991-1992 tour of Australia
that included a brilliant century on the fast and bouncy track at Perth. He has been Man of
the Match 11 times in Test matches and Man of the Series twice, both times in the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

His first ODI century came on September 9, 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at
Colombo. It had taken Tendulkar 79 ODIs to score a century.

Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to score a century while making his Ranji Trophy,
Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debut.

Wisden named Tendulkar one of the Cricketers of the Year in 1997, the first calendar
year in which he scored 1,000 Test runs. He repeated the feat in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

Tendulkar also holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has
done it six times – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003. In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI
runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any given calendar year.

While not a regular bowler, Tendulkar has 37 wickets in 132 tests.

Highlights of Tendulkar’s Test career include:

* Rated as the second best batsman of all time (next to Don Bradman) by Wisden [1][3]
* Highest number of Test centuries (35), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record (34) on 10
December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in Delhi.
* Played in the highest number of Cricket Grounds – he has played Test Cricket on 52
different grounds, ahead of Azharuddin (48), Kapil Dev (47), Inzamam-ul-Haq (46) and
Wasim Akram (45).
* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. He holds this record along
with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings.
* 4th highest tally of runs in Test cricket (10,668) (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Career Average 54.71 – Has the highest average among those who have scored over
10,000 Test runs (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Second Indian to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
* Has 37 Test wickets (14 Dec 2005)
* Second fastest player to reach 9000 runs (Brian Lara made 9000 in 177 innings, Sachin
in 179.)

Highlights of Tendulkar’s ODI career include:

* Played more matches than any other cricketer, 381 matches. (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Most Man of the Match (52) awards (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Appeared on the most grounds (89 different grounds)
* Most runs – 14,783 (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Most centuries (41) (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs
* Only cricketer to cross 14,000-run mark in ODIs
* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs as of February, 2006
* Over 100 wickets – 147 (updated on Feb 16 2007)
* Highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs (updated on Feb 16
2007)
* Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at
Hyderabad in 1999)
* Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it six times
– 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003.
* In 1998 he made 1,894 ODI runs, still the record for ODI runs by any batsman in any
given calendar year.
* In 1998 he hit 9 ODI centuries, the highest by any player in an year.

World Cup

* Most runs (1732 at an average of 59.72) in World Cup Cricket History

* Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
* 673 runs in 2003 World Cup, highest by any one in a single Cricket World Cup

Miscellaneous

* Sachin Tendulkar is the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third umpire in
1992 against South Africa in South Africa.
* He was the first overseas cricketer to play for Yorkshire CCC in 1992.
* Oddly, Wisden does not include any innings by Tendulkar among its list of 100 greatest
Test batting performances.

Criticism and recent performance

The case against Sachin Tendulkar’s recent performances was summed up by Wisden
Cricketers’ Almanack in its 2005 edition: “Apart from a glorious, nothing-to-lose 55
against Australia on a Mumbai terrortrack, watching Tendulkar became a colder
experience: after his humbling 2003, he seemed to reject his bewitching fusion of majesty
and human frailty in favour of a mechanical, robotic accumulation.”

The criticism must be seen against the backdrop of Tendulkar’s performance through the
years 1994-1999, coinciding with his physical peak, at age 20 through 25. Tendulkar was
told to open the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994 [4]. He went on to
make 82 runs off 49 balls. This was the beginning of a glorious period, culminating in the
Australian tour of 1998-1999, following which Australian spinner Shane Warne ruefully
joked that he was having nightmares about his Indian nemesis.
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. Worse was
to come as Professor Ramesh Tendulkar, Sachin’s father, died in the middle of the 1999
cricket World Cup. Tendulkar, succeeding Mohammad Azharuddin as captain, then led
India on a tour of Australia, where the visitors were comprehensively beaten 3-0 [6] by
the newly-crowned world champions. Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over
as captain in 2000.

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

The drawn series as India toured Australia in 2003-2004 saw Tendulkar making his mark
in the last Test of the series, with a double century in Sydney. The series was tied 1-1,
with Rahul Dravid taking the Man of the Series award.

Tennis elbow then took its toll on Tendulkar, leaving him out of the side for the first two
Tests when Australia toured India in 2005. He played a part in the facesaving Indian
victory in Mumbai, though Australia had already taken the series 2-1, with the Chennai
Test drawn.

Of late, as Wisden noted, Tendulkar has not been his old aggressive self. Expert opinion
is divided on whether this is due to his increasing years or the lingering after-effects of
injuries over 17 years at the highest level. On 10 December, 2005, at Feroz Shah Kotla,
he delighted fans with a record-breaking 35th Test century, against the Sri Lankans. But
doubts were raised once again when he averaged a mere 21 over three Test innings when
India toured Pakistan in 2006.

On 6 February 2006, Tendulkar scored his 39th ODI hundred, in a match against
Pakistan. Tendulkar now has 16 more ODI tons than the man who is second on the list of
ODI century-makers, Sourav Ganguly. He followed with a run-a-ball 42 in the second
ODI against Pakistan on February 11, 2006, and then a truly masterly 95 in hostile
conditions on 13 February, 2006 in Lahore.

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[7], the first time that he has ever faced such flak.
While cheered on when he came for his second innings, 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. Geoffrey Boycott was brutal in his assessment:
“Sachin Tendulkar is in the worst form of his career…Now that he’s going to sit out for a
further two months, I don’t think he can ever come back to regain what he once had.”
Personal life

Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali Mehta, the paediatrician daughter of Gujarati

industrialist Anand Mehta, in 1995, some years after they were introduced by mutual
friends. They have two children, Sara (born October 1997) and Arjun (born 23
September, 2000). Tendulkar sponsors 200 under-privileged children every year through
Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annabel Mehta. He
is reluctant to speak about this, or other charitable activities, choosing to preserve the
sanctity of his personal life despite the overwhelming media interest in him. Tendulkar
has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai. (Gifted by
Fiat through Michael Schumacher, the car became notorious when Tendulkar was given
customs exemption; Fiat paid the dues to end the controversy.)

Sachin has enthralled his legions of fans with many a great innings in the ten years that
he has played cricket. We take a look back of some of these superlative innings that have
earned him the fan following of millions.
Memorable Moments in ONE DAY INNINGS

1] 27th March 1994, India vs New Zealand, Eden Park Auckland: It was the first time
Sachin opened the innings in ODI’s. Opener Navjot Singh Sidhu got injured and although
India were chasing a small victory target of 146 no batsman was willing to open on a
seaming Eden Park wicket. But Sachin took the responsibility of opening the innings.
And what a happy accident it turned out to be as he smashed 82 off 43 balls. Describing
this knock Sachin said “Such innings’s are possible only once in a life time. It was like a
dream.”

2] 15th April, 1996: India vs Pakistan, Sharjah Pakistan have always had an edge over
their arch rivals at the desert venue and 1996 was no different. India had lost both their
games one to Pakistan and the other to South Africa. In a must win game Sachin
Tendulkar displayed guts and determination in plenty and smashed a brilliant hundred.
He shared a wonderful second wicket partnership of 232 runs along with Navjot Sidhu
and helped India to a total of 305. Incidentally, it was the first time that India scored in
excess of 300 runs in a one day match.

3] 22nd April 1998: India vs Australia (“Sandstorm innings”), Sharjah “The best innings
he has ever played” is how commentator Ravi Shastri described Sachin’s performance on
that eventful, emotionally draining and nerve jangling day at Sharjah. India were playing
Australia who after batting first put up a massive 283 runs putting the Indians under
pressure. India needed to win the match to qualify for the finals of the Coca Cola Cup or
end up 30 runs short of the Australian score in order to get a back door entry into the
finals and pip the Kiwis. After losing four quick wickets a struggling VVS Laxman came
in to join Sachin and the Indians seemed to be staring defeat in the face, needing more
than a run a ball in the remaining 20 odd overs. As if things were not bad enough then a
massive sandstorm came in from no where and interrupted the game for about half an
hour. The target was readjusted and India needed to get 237 in 46 overs and the asking
rate became more steep – India were asked to get 94 runs in 87 balls. But before he
resumed his innings Sachin assured Indian team coach Anshuman Gaekwad by saying,
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there till the end.” Such was his confidence and determination. He
smashed the first ball off Michael Kasprowicz for a six and then almost like a man
posessed made 143, taking India into the finals of the Coca-Cola Cup. India lost the
match by 20 odd runs but that superb knock helped India have one more crack at the
Aussies in the finals on Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday.

4] 24th April 1998 India vs Australia (“Happy Birthday Sachin”) Finals of the Coca Cola
Trophy, Sharjah: The crowds at the Sharjah, had come with banners wishing Sachin a
happy 25th birthday along with their intense desire to see him play another one of those
blinders and take India to victory. Sachin didn’t disappoint them. Australia had put up a
huge target of 273 and that meant India had quite a chase on their hands. Before the
Indian innings began noted Australian commentator Greg Chappell made a telling
comment. He said, “Sachin will be feeling just a little bit drained from his previous effort
and the weight of the entire Indian population will be on his young shoulders.” He was
right but Sachin went about his task with clinical precision and made 134. He unleashed
some of his breathtaking strokes and power only after he had ensured that India were well
on the road to victory. After depositing Aussie paceman Michael Kasprowicz on to the
roof of the Sharjah stadium, noted TV commentator Tony Greig said, “This little man is
the nearest thing to Bradman there’s ever been.” Sachin ended up sweeping almost all the
awards after India emerged victorious. He also won an Opel Astra for his efforts at
Sharjah an award which he dedicated to his wife, on his 25th birthday.

5] 29th May, 1999 India vs Kenya (“This one’s for you dad”), India vs Kenya, Bristol:
Sachin Tendulkar’s 140 not out in the match against Kenya said a lot about the
temperament that the litle champion possesses. India were under pressure to win the
match to stay in contention as they had lost their previous two games to South Africa and
Zimbabwe. Sachin had not taken part in the match against Zimbabwe as he had to return
to India because of the rather unfortunate death of his father. However he made it a point
to return to England for the World Cup. His hundred against Kenya is still talked about as
one of the great knocks of all time simply because of all the pressures (most of them non-
cricketing) he was under.

6] 31st March, 2000 India vs Australia, Indore: (Sachin’s creates history by becoming the
first batsman in the history of limited overs cricket to score 10,000 runs.) Sachin came
into the third one day international at Indore after he had slammed a rapid fire 35 and 32
in his previous two knocks at Bangalore and Pune respectively. He was rather unfairly
criticised by some sections of the media who thought he batted irresponsibly. However
the moment he walked in to bat at Indore one could see the determination on his face and
one could almost anticipate a hundred from the Bombay Bomber. Sachin did not
disappoint and he pulverised the Aussie bowlers and hammered his 28th one day
hundred. Sachin’s inns of 139 off just 125 deliveries can easily be rated as one of his best
one day inns as he was at his innovative best and he often played strokes that were
cheeky to say the least. During his inns he also achieved the distinction of becoming the
first player to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in one day internationals. It was indeed a
fine treble for Sachin as he reached 10,000 runs, slammed his 28th ton and he also helped
India post a comprehensive win to take a 2-1 lead in the 5 match series. He rightly won
the man of the match award for his stunning exploits.

Memorable Moments in TEST MATCHES :-

Test Matches:
1] 10-14th August 1990: 2nd test India vs England, Old Trafford Manchester: Sachin
Tendulkar got to his first test hundred when he drove Angus Fraser past mid off for 3
runs and aged 17, became the second youngest player in test history to score a hundred
after Mushtaq Mohammaed of Pakistan. However that knock had much more significance
than just being his first test hundred. It helped India save a match that looked all but lost
as they were tottering at 183/6 before tea chasing a victory target of 408 runs. Sachin who
scored an unbeaten 119 to win the man of the match award. Manoj Prabhakar too played
an important hand in helping India salvage a draw.

2] 2-6th January 1992, 3rd test India vs Australia, Sydney: Sachin holds the record for
being the youngest batsman to score a hundred on Australian soil when he scored a
superb 148 not out against Australia at the picturesque Sydney Cricket Ground. “Each
and every stroke deserved to be stood up and applauded,” commented Aussie
commentator Bill Lawry describing Sachin’s knock.

3] 1-5th February 1992 5th test India vs Australia, Perth: “It still remains my best test
match innings,” said the man himself in a recent TV interview about his hundred on a fast
and bouncy wicket at the WACA ground in Perth. On a pitch where batsmen of more
experience and higher pedigree struggled against the pace of McDermott, Hughes,
Whitney and Reiffel, Sachin who was still only 18 but fresh from his Sydney hundred
played a gem. He coped with the pace and bounce quite easily and stroked his way to a
beautiful hundred. Although his knock could not help India avoid another humiliating
defeat it still remains one of the best knocks ever played at the WACA. After he got to
his hundred, celebrated Aussie commentator Richie Benaud said, “It’s a great pity that an
innings which deserved a crowd of over a 100,000 is being watched by a such a small
crowd.”

4] 6-10th March 1998, 1st Test India vs Australia, Chennai. The Gavaskar-Border trophy
between India and Australia was billed as the Warne vs Tendulkar series by fans and
media alike, not surprising considering the reputation of the two great stars and their
attacking instincts. But after being stripped of the Captaincy, Sachin batted like a man
posessed almost out to prove a point. He was dismissed by the champion leg spinner for 4
in the first innings playing an ambitious stroke but in the second innings he decided to
make amends and launched into Warne from the first delivery he bowled. India were
trailing by 70 runs when they began their second innings and they needed a quick fire
innings from some one if they had to make a match of it. His 155 not out in the second
inns on a track that afforded sharp turn and bounce helped India win the test match. Says
Ian Chappell about that inns, ” I will always remember that Chennai test match for a lot
of good things but I will never forget for as long as I live the moment when Shane Warne
came around the wicket for the first time and Tendulkar deposited him over the mid
wicket boundary.”

5] 28 Jan to 1st Feb 1999, 1st test India vs Pakistan, Chennai: It was the first time that
India and Pakistan were playing a test match on Indian soil for 12 years and the first ever
test series between the two countries since 1989. Sachin was dismissed for a duck in the
first inns by off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. But Sachin more than made up for it by scoring
136 in the second inns and almost took India to an unlikely win. India were 82/5 in their
second essay chasing 271 to win. Sachin battled back spasms and a pumped up Pakistani
team with a superb blend of defence and attack. He carried on and when India were just
17 runs away from their target he fell victim to Saqlain again. His wicket gave the
Pakistanis a new lease of life and they polished off the lower order to complete a thrilling
12 run win. That was the first time fans saw Sachin wince in pain on a cricket field and
although he won the man of the match award it was little consolation for Sachin who
broke down in the dressing room after he saw India being beaten from a seemingly
winning position.

It’s not just his willow that speaks:

It’s not just Sachin’s willow that has enthralled Cricket fans the world over, he has also
made telling contributions with the ball. Who can forget the dramatic last over that he
bowled in the semi finals of the Hero Cup against the South Africans at Calcutta on that
dramatic evening on November 24th 1993 in front of a packed Eden Gardens at Calcutta?
The Springboks needed just 6 runs to win off the last over and Skipper Azharuddin was
in a dilemma as to who should bowl the last over. Kapil Dev with over 400 test wickets
and 200 ODI wickets would have been the obvious choice but the legendary all rounder
was for once not game to take up the challenge. Sachin who was only 20 then literally
snatched the ball from his skipper’s hands and with clever variations in pace and
movement denied the Springboks a win.

He also picked up 5 wickets in the first match of the Pepsi Cup at Kochi against Australia
on April 1 1998 to win the man of the match award.

Sachin also made telling breakthroughs in the second inns of the Kolkata test against
Australia in the recently concluded series and picked up 3 wickets to give Harbhajan
Singh the much needed support from the other end. Of course he also picked up his 100th
one day victim when he dismissed Steve Waugh in the last one dayer at Goa. So he is the
only member of the joint 100 wkt and 10,000 run club. And that is an awesome record
which will take some beating.

First batsman to score 50 hundreds in international cricket

When he became the first batsman to score 50 hundreds in international cricket, Sachin
Tendulkar established himself as the greatest of all Indian cricketers. Recognised by Sir
Donald Bradman as his modern incarnation, Tendulkar has a skill – a genius – which
only a handful have possessed. It was not a skill that he was simply born with, but one
which was developed by his intelligence and an infinite capacity for taking pains. If there
is a secret, it is that Tendulkar has the keenest of cricket minds. At times in a Test series
he looks mortal. But he learns every lesson, picks up every cue, dominates the opposing
attack sooner or later, and nearly always makes a hundred. His bravery was proved after
he was hit on the head on his Test debut in Pakistan, when he was only 16; and his
commitment to the Indian cause has never been in doubt. If captaincy – or rather the off-
field management of men less skilled than himself – was beyond him at his first attempt,
his reading of the game, and his manifold varieties of bowling, have shown the same
acute intelligence. His cricket has been played in the right way too, always attacking, and
because he knew that was the right way rather than because he was a child of the one-day
age, as he himself modestly said. The awe of opponents was as great as that of crowds.
But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds – or a game –
until Tendulkar was out.

Sachin’s favorites

Favorite food
All sea food, especially fish cooked by his mother, steak. (by the way he also enjoys
devouring bowlers of the opposition!)

Hobbies
Driving and listening to music especially Dire Straits, Sting, Kishore Kumar, Lata
Mangeshkar, Phil Collins and Eagles.

Other Cricketers admired

Wasim Akram, Sunil Gavaskar, Jonty Rhodes, Shane Warne, Sanath Jayasuriya and
Brian Lara

Team Mates Admired

Anil Kumble, Vinod Kambli, Javagal Srinath.

Other sportsmen admired

Diego Maradona, John McEnroe and Boris Becker

In his spare time he attends to

His family and his personal stereo

He likes batting with

Vinod Kambli

One dream that will always remain unfulfilled

Playing against the West Indies pace attack of Holding, Marshall, Garner and Roberts.

Favorite cricket grounds

Sydney Cricket Ground and Wankhede Stadium.
Most memorable match
Beating Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 1992 World Cup.

Tendulkar’s childhood memories

Submitted by i.srivastava@rediffmail.com

On the first day, Achrekar told Sachin to watch in order to get a feel of what playing with
the ‘big boys’ would be like. ‘For the first and so far perhaps the only time in his cricket
career, Sachin just stood and watched the others play,’ remembers Ajit….

‘His father was always behind him and his brother Ajit would accompany him to the nets.
This was essential for the youngster.’
On the way home from that first session, he told his brother with the same confidence
with which he would handle the world’s best bowlers, “I can bat better than any of them.”

Ajit noticed his ‘uncanny ability’ to judge the length of the ball and middle it.

Sachin was studying in the Indian Education Society’s New English School, close to the
family home in Bandra (East) where most of his friends also studied. But the school
lacked a good cricket ground and coach. On Achrekar’s suggestion, the switch was made
and purely for the sake of cricket. Professor Ramesh Tendulkar was first approached by
Achrekar with the suggestion; since the coach was by now convinced the boy had
potential. But the father turned to Ajit for his opinion because Ajit had cricketing
experience and had been guiding Sachin’s entry into serious cricket. Till now Sachin
played cricket only during the school vacations. Now he would have to combine studies
and cricket. But the final decision was left to Sachin himself – a tough one for someone
so young who would miss his school friends. Commuting every day from his home in
Bandra (East) to the new school meant a one-hour journey and he would have to change
buses. However, it did not take him very long to reach a decision. Cricket was more
important than fun and games in the backyard. Sharadashram it would be. It is
remarkable that a family so steeped in middle-class values with education coming above
all had the courage and foresight to take such a far-reaching decision.

Sachin in his child-like excitement picked out the first bat he saw, one that appeared too
big and heavy for his size. Both Ajit and Achrekar tried to dissuade him. But he was firm
in his choice and it has always been heavy bats from then on. Today he wields one of the
heaviest in the world. (Up to 3lbs 2 ounces).
By now Sachin’s life revolved round cricket and cricket alone. Studies had begun to take
a backseat. But there was a four-month hiatus during the monsoon months when the only
cricket being played in Mumbai was the Kanga League.

His first big match knock produced 24 runs. This included three stylish boundaries – a
square cut, a cover drive and a straight drive. Ajit was struck by the power in his kid
brother’s hands since most cricketers of that age did not have the strength to hit
boundaries, getting their runs mainly in singles and two’s. But Sachin’s timing was so
good that he was able to find the gaps in the field, allowing the ball to race to the
boundary.

The first person to predict the big time for Sachin was an umpire by the name of
Gondhalekar. He was umpiring the quarterfinals against Don Bosco at Cross Maiden in
which Sachin smashed 10 fours in a knock of 50. The umpire called Achrekar and
predicted the lad would one day play for the country – a prediction Achrekar brushed
aside since this was the boy’s first year in competitive cricket.

Achrekar was keen that Sachin get a place in the Bombay Cricket Association (BCA)
nets for under-19 boys which were spread across the city and usually conducted by an ex-
Test cricketer.

Ajit took Sachin to the MIG (Middle Income Group) Cricket Club ground, a short walk
from their home in Bandra to meet the coach in charge, a man named Dandekar.
But Dandekar was shocked when he heard Sachin was just 12 and bluntly told Ajit his
kid brother was too young to get into the under-19 nets.So the summer was spent instead
in practice sessions with Achrekar, both in the mornings and afternoons. Sessions intense
enough for Sachin to say goodbye to a normal childhood with summer vacations filled
with childhood pranks and fun and games.

All through this year of 1985, it was cricket, cricket, and more cricket. The phrase ‘eat
cricket, drink cricket, sleep cricket’ began to ring true for Sachin. Even after he broke
into international cricket, Sachin was known to talk – cricket, of course! – and walk in his
sleep. And the phrase he uttered most often in his sleep? ‘Take two!’ (In Marathi – ‘Don-
ge’).

The grind would begin at 7.00 in the morning, a quick breakfast and then at the ground at
7.30. A batting session would be followed by tips from Achrekar who was always on
hand to guide his favorite student. Bowling was a fascination with Sachin from the early
days and even then he bowled an assortment of medium pace and leg spin. Fielding was
also taken seriously. The morning session would be till 10.00, and the afternoon would
begin at 3.00 and continue till 7.00.
Just 12, Sachin also played his first match in the Kanga League, scoring five for Young
Parsee Cricket Club in the ‘F’ division.

A special batting prize was presented to the precocious youngster, still one year short of
his teens. By now he had made quite a name for himself and his school fielded him in
both the Giles and Harris Shield tournaments. In fact, his maiden century came in the
Harris; the senior of the two.That landmark came against Don Bosco School, Matunga at
the Bharat CC ground at Shivaji Park. He was unbeaten on 96 at the end of the first day
of the three-day match, coming in after the loss of two wickets. To get over the tension,
Sachin decided to spend the night at his parents’ home instead of his uncle’s. But it was a
sleepless night. Early on the second day, one of the rival team’s pace bowlers was square
cut to the boundary and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s first century entered the record
books………Oh my God….
Sachin was chosen for the Mumbai under-15 team for the Vijay Merchant inter-zonal
tournament to be played in Pune. By this time, the big names of Mumbai cricket were
beginning to take notice of this wonder boy.
It has happened countless times since in newspapers and magazines around the world.
But the very first time Sachin’s photograph appeared in the papers was when he scored
123 against Maharashtra in just 140 minutes in the opening game at Baroda.

Now it was back to do duty for Sharadashram in the Harris Shield. In the very first match
he registered an amazing score for a boy barely into his teens: 276 against BPM High
School, that too in a single day against boys three to four years older than him. Just one
rung lower, in the Giles Shield, Sachin had been appointed captain. The first match was
against the powerful Balamohan, Ajit’s former team. Sachin confidently predicted he
would win not only that match, but the title as well…..

Sharadashram were struggling at 40 for three in reply to Balamohan’s 250 when the
captain (Sachin) came in and smashed 159 not out in two hours. The team was on its
way. And so was Sachin.

And true to his word, he had led his school to victory, scoring 665 runs with three
centuries in the Giles Shield. For the first time, Sharadashram English achieved the
Harris/Giles double, largely due to Sachin’s huge scores.

‘Sachin was making runs by the tons. I went to Shivaji Park in Dadar and met him just
around lunch. I told him that since he was fielding I would come later in the evening to
chat with him,’ Warrier told……’I was quite surprised to see his brother too with him in
the evening. I was wondering how he had found the time to call his brother to the ground.
I suggested we go to a restaurant and have a cup of tea. They agreed and we walked a
short distance from the ground to a small Irani restaurant. It is one of the oldest in that
area. As we started chatting I realized that Sachin was keeping mum and Ajit was doing
all the talking. Every time I asked a question, Sachin would prompt his brother in
Marathi, ‘Tu sang na’ (You tell him). So I told him, since you go to an English medium
school you should speak to me in English and not in Marathi. He politely smiled. ……..
‘Sachin is also a good singer.’

Even while scoring a mountain of runs, Sachin did not neglect his bowling and picked up
quite a few wickets with his medium pacers.
In October of that year 1987, he was part of the selection trials at the MRF Pace
Academy in Chennai (then known as Madras), overseen by Australian fast bowling
legend Dennis Lillee. But Lillee was not impressed with his bowling (due to his short
height) and told him to concentrate on batting, biggest mistake by an Australian………..
Sachin was not selected for the Academy.

SACHIN’S Domestic Career

At the age of 14 Sachin became the youngest player ever selected for Mumbai in the
West Zone Ranji Trophy league.And the legend born………..
he was selected for the Sportstar Trophy for boys under 17. His scores of 158, 97 and 75
also won him the Man of the Series award and took his team (Dattu Phadkar XI) to
victory.
In the Giles and Harris shield he had a fantastic run: 21 not out, 125, 207 not out, 326 not
out, 172 not out, 346 not out, 0 and 14. The ‘failures’ of 172 not out, 0 and 14 were
scored in the Giles Shield. His Harris Shield total of 1, 025 runs came to the staggering
average of 1, 025!!!The two triple centuries had come in the Harris Shield, in the
semifinals against St. Xavier’s, Fort (326 not out) and in the final against Anjuman-E-
Islam (346 not out).

A soldier is not judged by the weapon he carries or the battlefields he conquers, but the
character with which he uses his weapons on the battlefield. Sachin plays for a team, and
we cannot think of a better saviour of Indian cricket than Sachin. Do not judge him
merely by the runs he scores, for he has spawned a generation of fiercely motivated
young cricketers that will carry the honour of our team for the next two decades. See his
batting style, that style no one batted, bats & can ever bat…………………..

Sachin Tendulkar was the first batsman to have been declared run out by a third
umpire1992 against South Africa in South Africa.

He was the first overseas cricketer to play for Yorkshire CCC in 1993.

Shane Warne famously remarked after the Australian tour of India, and then Sharjah in
1998, that his nightmares are full of “Sachin coming, dancing down the track and lofting
me over for yet another six !”

He once asked his care taker Laxmi bai to prepare a dish of frogs considered to be an
yuck dish in India as a child.

Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai.
(Gifted by Fiat through Michael Schumacher, the car became notorious when Tendulkar
was given customs exemption; Fiat paid the dues to end the controversy.)

During India’s tour to Australia, he was declared out when he ducked to coin the term
“shoulder before wicket”

————-
He has won the most number of man of series and the man of matches in the
One day Internationals.

————-
On December 4, 2006, Tendulkar was featured in a question on the American
game show Jeopardy! The clue was “Sachin Tendulkar of India is a leading
‘bowler’ in this sport”
———
“Sachin, the name was given to him by his late father after the great music
composer & singer, Sachin Dev Burman”

Summary of Tendulkar’s ODI and Test Statistics

Profile

Full name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Born: April 24, 1973, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra
Major teams: India, ACC Asian XI, Mumbai, Yorkshire
Nickname: Tendlya, Little Master
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly
Height: 5 ft 5 in
Education: Sharadashram Vidyamandir School

One Day Internationals

Matches: 441 (1989-)
Innings: 430
Aggregate: 17598
Average: 44.61
Best Score: 200*
50’s : 93
100’s: 45
Strike Rate : 85.90

Test Matches
Matches: 166 (1989-)
Innings: 271
Aggregate: 13447
Average: 55.57
Best Score: 248*
50’s : 54
100’s: 47
200s: 4

World Cup matches

Matches: 36 (1992-)
Innings: 35
Aggregate: 1796
Average: 57.94
Best Score: 152
50’s : 13
100’s: 4
Strike Rate : 88.21

For any error/corrections in the above stats, click here to contact us. You can also submit
new statistics to be added on this page such as number of 90s or number of 6s. We
request you to double check your stat before submitting it here.

[updated on Feb 14 2010]

Greatest Hits..
Ton-by-ton guide to Sachin Tendulkar’s feat in surpassing Sir Don Bradman’s 29 Test centuries.Â
1990Â At the age of 17, Tendulkar reaches three figures for the first time in a Test as he makes 119 not out
against England at Old Trafford. The innings includes 17 fours but the match is drawn.
1992Â

Tendulkar shows the Australian fans what he is capable of by batting almost five hours for an unbeaten 148
in the third Test at Sydney, but once again the game is drawn.Â

The following match in Perth sees him make 114 off 161 balls, with 16 fours, but India are beaten by 300
runs.Â

Tendulkar is a class apart as he makes 111 out of an Indian first innings total of 227 against South Africa in
Johannesburg and at 19 years and 217 days becomes the youngest player to reach 1,000 Test runs.Â

1993Â
England are on the receiving end as Tendulkar scores his first century on home soil, hitting a six and 24
fours in his 165 as India win by an innings and 22 runs in Madras.Â

Next up are Sri Lanka and Tendulkar’s second innings 104 not out helps India to a 235-run victory in
Colombo.Â

1994Â

Tendulkar returns home to face Sri Lanka again and it is a similar story as he collects 22 boundaries in a
first innings score of 142 at Lucknow as India triumph by an innings and 119 runs.

The year comes to an end with a home series against West Indies and Tendulkar defies Courtney Walsh
and co for almost seven hours to make 179 in Nagpur. The game ends in a draw.Â

1996Â

Tendulkar is in brilliant form on his second tour to England, marking the start of a three-match series with
122 at Edgbaston, but he is unable to prevent the home side from winning by eight wickets.Â

The third match at Nottingham sees Tendulkar score 177, including 26 fours, and he shares a stand of 255
with Sourav Ganguly. The match, however, ends in a draw.Â
1997Â

India are beaten 2-0 in South Africa at the start of the year, but Tendulkar marks the second Test in Cape
Town with a score of 169, which features 26 boundaries.Â

Tendulkar makes Sri Lanka suffer again by making 143 in an Indian total of 537 for eight declared in
Colombo, but the game is drawn.Â

The second Test follows a similar pattern with Tendulkar this time batting for six and a half hours to reach
139.Â

There is no let-up for the Sri Lankans as they travel to India only to suffer another Tendulkar onslaught –
148 including three sixes and 20 fours in Bombay, but they escape with a draw.Â

1998Â
Australia visit India in early 1998 and Tendulkar greets Mark Taylor’s men by hitting fours sixes and 14
fours in his 155 not out at Madras as India win by 179 runs.Â

He does even better in the third Test at Bangalore with an innings of 177, but Australia prevent a clean
sweep with an eight wicket win.Â

Tendulkar makes his first Test hundred against New Zealand, but his 113 cannot save India from a four-
wicket defeat.Â

Arch-rivals Pakistan visit India and Tendulkar helps himself to 136 in Madras, only for India to lose an
exciting match by 12 runs.Â

1999Â

Once again Tendulkar feasts on Sri Lanka’s bowling, making 124 not out in the drawn Test in Colombo.

India return home to play New Zealand and Tendulkar scores 126 not out in the drawn Test at
Chandigarh.Â

A landmark innings in the third Test sees Tendulkar make 217, his first Test double century, in a 344-ball
innings which includes 29 boundaries.Â

India are outplayed in Australia at the end of the year, but Tendulkar shows his class by scoring 116 in the
second Test at Melbourne. The home side win the game, however, by 180 runs.Â

2000Â

Tendulkar plays the supporting role to Rahul Dravid with 122 as India beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in
Delhi. Dravid scores 200 not out.Â

It is Tendulkar’s turn to double up in Nagpur as his 201 not out off 281 balls leads India to 609 for six
declared, but the match is drawn.Â

2001Â
India complete a magnificent 2-1 triumph over Australia by winning the final Test by two wickets in
Madras, with Tendulkar contributing 126 in India’s first innings.Â
Partnered by protege Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar hammers 155 off 184 balls against South Africa in
Bloemfontein, but the home side win by nine wickets.Â

England try to keep Tendulkar in check, but it does not work at Ahmedabad, where he scores 103 in a
drawn Test.Â

2002Â

Zimbabwe suffer in Nagpur as Tendulkar hits 23 fours in his 176 and India go on to win by an innings and
101 runs.Â

Tendulkar hits his 29th century to equal Bradman, with West Indies the team to suffer. He reaches 113 not
out at the end of the first day in the second Test.Â

He then surpasses The Don’s record with a sublime 193 in the third Test against England at Headingley.Â

Tendulkar is now only four centuries short of Sunil Gavaskar’s record.

Tendulkar’s Dream
Young Sachin had aspired of being a fast bowler. It was this dream that made him
undertake trials at Chennai based MRF pace academy, but his small stature proved to be a
major hindrance to his aspiring career. ( THANK GOD !!! else the WORLD would have
been deprived of such a genius batsman. )

First step towards cricket

Tendulkar’s sensational journey to cricket stardom sparked of when his brother Ajit made
him meet Mr. R. Achrekar ( Cricket Coach ). Sachin failed to perform in the first go
which made him very nervous but his brother’s persuasion led Mr. Achrekar give him
another chance.

Turning point in his career

It was his change of school to Shardashram Vidya Mandir in Dadar – close to Shivaji
Park on his coach’s advice which marked a turn around in Sachin’s career. He says,” I
use to bat in four nets at one strech. Whenever, I use to get tired, Achrekar use to keep a
one rupee coin on top of the stumps and say, “Anyone who gets him out will take this
coin. If no-one gets him, Sachin takes it.” Tendulkar till date contributes this technique in
being instrumental for enhancing his concentration. He still treasures the 13 coins earned
by him during the practice sessions.

Naughty Duo
Sachin and his best pal Vinod Kambli hold the World Record of 664 runs stand for
Shardashram School in inter-school tournament in 1988. Tendulkar candidly admits that
the total would have never assumed mammoth proportion had he and Kambli not ignored
the man waving from the boundary with the coach’s message to declare.

Tendulkar’s Idol
Tendulkar’s idol is the American Tennis superstar-John McEnore. During his young age,
he argued and fought for McEnore with his colony friends who supported Swedish Bjorn
Borg. Sachin sported a head-band, sweat-band and a tennis racquet showing his staunch
loyalty towards his idol.

Family Quirks
Sachin’s wife Anjali tends to become nervous while he bats whereas his brother has
become so superstitious that he allows the family members to only watch the match
recording.

His reactions to his dismissals

On pre-mature and early exits, Sachin likes to take out his anger somewhere. He prefers
to be left alone, till he cools down.

God’s Importance in his life

Tendulkar is a God fearing person, a staunch devotee of Sai Baba, Ganpathi and
frequently visits temples during night when it’s calm and quiet. He visualizes God in his
parents. Religion to him is what his parents have inculcated in him, his upbringing and
his way of life. Sachin strongly believes in the concept of re-birth, existence of Hell and
Heaven. He loves celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at home with his family and believes that
it firms his ties with his loved ones.

Batting and fielding averages

Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 169 276 29 13837 248* 56.02 48 56 57 106 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 272 428 45 22730 248* 59.34 75 102 174 0
List A 529 516 55 21150 200* 45.87 57 111 169 0
Twenty20 40 40 5 1368 89* 39.08 1065 128.45 0 10 181 20 17 0
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 169 130 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 272 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 40 8 93 123 2 1/12 1/12 61.50 7.93 46.5 0 0 0
Career statistics
Test debut Pakistan v India at Karachi, Nov 15-20, 1989 scorecard
Last Test Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (PSS), Aug 3-7, 2010 scorecard
Test statistics Submit

ODI debut Pakistan v India at Gujranwala, Dec 18, 1989 scorecard

Last ODI India v South Africa at Gwalior, Feb 24, 2010 scorecard
ODI statistics Submit

Only T20I South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard

T20I statistics Submit

First-class debut 1988/89

Last First-class Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (PSS), Aug 3-7, 2010 scorecard
List A debut 1989/90
Last List A India v South Africa at Gwalior, Feb 24, 2010 scorecard
Twenty20 debut South Africa v India at Johannesburg, Dec 1, 2006 scorecard
Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians at Mumbai, Apr 25, 2010
Last Twenty20
scorecard