Milestones have become so routine in Sachin Tendulkar’s career that it hardly came as a surprise when he touched another one by becoming the first batsman in cricket’s history to notch up an astonishing 50 Test hundreds.
The 37-year-old right-hander, who has spent a remarkable over 20 years in international cricket, has perhaps every batting record that is there to be taken under his belt and adding to the countless tally is the historic hundred that he struck against South Africa in the opening Test at Centurion, on December 19, 2010.
Much before his debut on November 15, 1989, Tendulkar’s precocious talent was there to be seen when he shared an unbeaten 664-run stand with buddy Vinod Kambli in the Lord Harris Shield inter-school game in 1988.
The 1989 international debut was far less spectacular, in fact forgettable. A Waqar Younis bouncer left him with a bleeding nose but Tendulkar did not wince and the next two decades saw him punishing bowlers all over the world on all kind of surfaces.
His first Test century came in England next year at Old Trafford and the diminutive Mumbaikar rose in stature after the 1991-92 tour of Australia, hitting sublime centuries on a Sydney turner and a Perth minefield.
The rest is history. No existing batting record seemed safe. Other than Brian Lara’s Test match highest of 400 not out and first-class highest score of 501 not out, every batting record became Tendulkar’s. He is steadily inching towards the 50 ODI tons mark as well having scored 46 already.
Tendulkar is also the only batsman in the world who has scored a double ton in ODIs, a feat he achieved in Gwalior against South Africa in February. This feat was included in Time magazine’s top 10 sports moments of the year.
To pick just five from a list of 50 Test centuries by Sachin Tendulkar can be a task as nightmarish as digging out a Waqar Younis yorker or defending a Jeff Thomson scorcher, or, on a calmer note, picking a Bishan Bedi armer.
When he started out with a match-saving century against England at Manchester in 1990 in his 14th Test innings, Tendulkar, still in his teens, indicated some of his astonishing batting prowess. Today, the cricket world, arguably, regards him the greatest batsman along with Don Bradman. Statistics can never evaluate the joy that he brings to his vocation but here is a selection of five gems from his treasure box of 50.
1. 114 at Perth, 1992; 3rd in Tests: This remains his personal best. “The ball flies” he was told. It did, but off his bat, as Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Paul Reiffel and Mike Whitney, mean bowlers all on a receptive pitch, witnessed a genius unfold that windy day. The difficulty of batting enhanced the character of the knock.
The Australian attack fell apart on a pitch that had pace and bounce. It needed skill and courage to survive. Tendulkar, at 19, had much more. The bouncers were dealt with firmly and he produced some sensational shots square of the wicket. It was a knock for the purists and theorists. He ended the second day at 31 and returned to conquer Australia even if India lost. He was the ninth man out after taking guard at 69 for two. Incidentally, he had batted higher, at No 4, than Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin.
2. 111 at Johannesburg, 1992; 4th in Tests: An outstandingly-crafted innings on India's history-making first-ever tour to South Africa. The daunting task of excelling in unknown conditions added to the pressure after his 11 run out in the previous Test at Durban. The attack comprised Allan Donald, Craig Matthews, Brian McMillan and Hansie Cronje. No place for a spinner on that fast and bouncy Wanderers pitch, which meant Tendulkar had to curtail his strokeplay.
And then he was confronted by a classy fielding side where Jonty Rhodes at point was just unbeatable. But Tendulkar got past him with a stunning demonstration of backfoot play that left even Donald admiring. It was this contest with Donald that brought the best out of Tendulkar even though he was to acknowledge later that he was troubled more by Cronje. The next best score in India's innings was 25 by Kapil Dev.
3. 122 at Birmingham, 1996; 9th in Tests: Flawless and masterly. What if India lost? Tendulkar won the hearts of the English connoisseur with the elegance that he brought to his batting. The Edgbaston pitch was dreadful. The bounce varied, low at times and skull-threatening too, and the swing was prodigious.
Chris Lewis, Dominic Cork and Alan Mullaly played havoc with their variety and batting looked the most difficult job in the world against them. But the master displayed amazing flair and courage. Patience was his greatest virtue as he played the ball late, used his wrists to beat the field and showed amazing technique in the most adverse conditions. He was hardly deceived, the slip fielders saw no edges and he rarely allowed the ball to hit the pads. He was so sure that day. A next best score of 18 by technician Sanjay Manjrekar showed the difference.
4. 155 not out at Chennai, 1998; 15th in Tests: Shane Warnearrived for his first Test in India with unprecedented hype. He consumed Tendulkar for four in the first innings. When the two faced each other again, expectations of a regal battle grew universally. The spectators, knowledgeable to the core, were not disappointed.
Warne dug into his vast repertoire. So did Tendulkar in a most memorable exhibition of masterly batsmanship. This domination of Warne in a winning cause confirmed Tendulkar as one of the all-time greats. It was indeed a very special innings and set the trend for some captivating duels between the two maestros.
On a helpful pitch, where the ‘rough' was begging to be exploited, Warne was repeatedly hit against the turn by the master, who was never afraid to step out. After this, Warne was never the same bowler.
5. 103 not out at Chennai, 2008; 41st in Tests: This one was dedicated to “all Indians” as the match-winning knock came in the fourth innings of a Test, a first for Tendulkar in 155 Tests! England, having flown home following the Mumbai terror attack, had agreed to return for a two-Test series. This was Tendulkar's tribute to the victims, an innings that had the hallmark of a champion.
The target was 387 and the attack — Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Andrew Flintoff and Monty Panesar — quite motivated but Tendulkar chose the stage to make a clinching statement of his determination. His footwork and backswing were exemplary. The follow-through of his shots showed him in complete control. He knew he had to not only hang in there but also finish the job. That he did it with élan reflected on his hunger for runs and glory even after 19 years of international cricket then.
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