The recent-Allan Border-Sunil Gavaskar Test Series between India and Australia  will remain as a watershed in the annals of the Indian cricket for more than one reason. “The Silent Assassin” as he was popularly know in cricket circles, the Jumbo-hearted Anil Kumble finally decided to walk into shadows of the world cricket by announcing his retirement from Test cricket. So do the “Bengal Tiger” Sourav Ganguly. The two men who kept the Indian flag flying with their courageous performances.  They played with dignity and pride and with their heart-out always for which they are remembered so dearly in the hearts of the Indian cricket fans.

But, the one milestone which the world cricket will always cherish was India’s “Little Master” Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar becoming the highest run scorer in the Test cricket by  eclipsing West Indies’ great Brian Lara’s record during the second Test match at Mohali.

The Little Champion, batsman finally surpassed Lara’s record 11,953 with a push to third man for three off the bowling of Peter Siddle to send the home supporters into raptures.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, was among the first few to congratulate Tendulkar on the occasion. Sachin also holds the records for the most runs and most centuries scored in one-day internationals. The 35-year-old ‘Little Master’ achieved the milestone in his 152nd Test appearance; though Lara accumulated just 131 caps in setting the previous mark. Tendulkar has now scored 12,027 Test runs at an average of just over 54.

“It has taken me 19 years to get the record,” said Tendulkar, referring to his debut in 1989. “It can’t happen overnight. It has been a fantastic journey. There have been ups and downs in the process of success.”

When quizzed about his retirement plans, Sachin made a sarcastic reply for the criticism he faced all through his life, by saying: “If stones are thrown at you, you convert them into milestones.”

There was no surprise in the record as it was always on the cards. More than the record it’s just a matter of when and where?  Tendulkar surpassed another Indian legend, Sunil Gavaskar, in setting a new high of 35 Test centuries nearly three years ago - he now has 39 - and though injuries have begun to dog him with increasing frequency, he was at his exhilirating best on India’s tour of Australia at the start of the year, when he scored 493 runs at 70.42. Perhaps the only blemish on an impeccable batting CV is his lack of a Test triple-hundred - a statistic unlikely to give the great man too much pause as his career draws towards its close. On personal front, Sachin always wanted to win the prestigious World Cup championship trophy for India, but he failed to do so till now, though India reached the final only to suffer a humiliating defeat against Australia in 2004.

“I think he is one of the finest batsmen the world has ever seen,” said former India skipper Kapil Dev, after Tendulkar reached the landmark.  “The country needs heroes like him. It is great to have a player of this calibre and a cricketer who can give joy to the whole country,” added Kapil Dev, himself a former holder of the record for Test wickets.

“It is not easy to play for 19 years with the pressure he has had throughout his career. People love him - he can’t go out, do the things he wants to do. Every simple thing he does in his life, people notice. Hats off to him for still coming forward to play cricket.”

Tendulkar arrived in Mohali with 11,939  runs against his name from 151 Tests, averaging 54.02 hitting 39 centuries in the process. His ODI record put together— he tops the run-accumulator’s chart there too with 16,361 runs — Tendulkar has scored more than 25,000 international runs with the help of a mindboggling (42+39) 81 centuries and 138 half-centuries.

Tendulkar was hit on the mouth by the Pakistan’s Waqar Younis in his debut Test series in Pakistan resulting in injury to the Little champion with blood drenching the shirt of the teenager. Nineteen long years since the incident took place and since then bowlers around the world continue to bleed even to this day for a folly of one of their predecessors.

Worse, the torment is far from over. Almost as a matter of revenge, Tendulkar lorded over the bowlers since that 1989 series, eclipsing virtually every batting record and piling on mountain of runs and setting new benchmarks for batsmanship in the process.

Perfect timing, impeccable technique, good temperament, top-class shot selection  and unflinching commitment made Tendulkar a paragon of all batting virtues. With no real chink in his batting armour, he is a real nightmare to bowlers all over the world as was rightly described by Austrlia’s legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne.

Equipped with every shot in the book and endowed with the flair, Tendulkar grew in stature before eventually attaining cult status. The Austrlaian great Don Bradman anointed him as his heir and euphoric Indians fans defied him. For his legion of fans across the country, Tendulkar is nothing but a messiah. Everytime he walked out in the middle and took guard, he was expected to excel, regardless of opposition, condition and everything else. And on most occasions, Tendulkar did just that and his cult grew.

His impeccable demeanor on and off the field and a childish love for the game have endeared Tendulkar to all, making him a genuine ambassador of the game. With this new feather added to his already well-decorated cap, Tendulkar is now in a league of his own.

Lara praises Sachin:

Legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara paid tributes to Sachin Tendulkar, saying that the Indian batting maestro was the most deserving batsman to break his world record and become the highest run-getter in Tests.

“I was quite happy for him. There is no better individual or batsman in the world that could go past you than Sachin Tendulkar,” Lara said.

“He has been a great for so many years and is someone who is deserving of such a record. So I just want to wish him the best,” he told local media.

Lara, however, believes that Australian captain Ricky Ponting will eventually break Tendulkar’s record. “Ricky Ponting is someone who is in line to hold such a record as well. I would think that (Ponting) still has 30 or 40 Tests matches left under his belt and he has already gone past 10,000 runs,” the Trinidadian said.

Spin legend Shane Warne has hailed Sachin Tendulkar on becoming Test cricket’s highest run-getter, saying that a batsman of his class and skill deserved to be on top of the run heap. “I just think he has a class about him. I just take my hat off to him. The way he conducts himself on and off the field, the pressure he’s under with a billion people watching him every time he goes out to bat, the way he handles decisions, he’s pure skill,” Warne said.

Here are some of the interesting details of Sachin’s cricketing career.

Full Name: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Born:  April 24, 1973

Debut:

ODI:  December 18, 1989 v Pakistan at Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala

Test:  November 15, 1989 v Pakistan at National Stadium, Karachi

World Cup: February 22, 1992 v England at W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth - Western Australia

Twenty20: December 1, 2006 v South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

TEST CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

·      Sachin Tendulkar has registered most centuries (39) in Test Cricket.

·      Has recorded most centuries (23) away from home.

·      Only player to aggregate 6000 runs away from home - 6821 (ave.53.71) in 87 Tests. 

·      Has been on the winning side 47 times - most by any Indian player.

·      Aggregated 3913 runs (ave.62.11) including 13 centuries for winning cause - the most by an Indian.

·      Shares the Indian record for most Player of the series awards (4) for India with Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev.

·      Holds the record for most Man of the match awards (10) for India.

·      Youngest to play for India in a Test match at the age of 16 years 205 days - vs Pakistan at Karachi on Nov 15, 1989.

·      Sachin Tendulkar was the Youngest to post a hundred for India at the age of 17 years 107 days - 119 not out vs England at Manchester in August 1990.

·      Has aggregated 1000 runs in a calendar year four times - 1997, 1999, 2001 & 2002, an Indian record he shares with Sunil Gavaskar, who had also achieved the feat four times.

·      Best year in terms of run-aggregate - 1392 (ave.55.68) in 16 matches in 2002. Only Sunil Gavaskar has amassed more runs than Sachin in a calendar year for India - 1407 (ave.54.11) in 17 Tests in 1979.

·      Holds the Test Partnership records for India for 3rd, 4th and 10th wicket - 336 (3rd) with Virender Sehwag vs. Pakistan at Multan in 2003-04 and 353 (4th) with V.V.S.Laxman vs Australia at Sydney in 2003-04 and 133 (10th) with Zaheer Khan vs. Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004-05.

ODI CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

·      Most consecutive matches - 185 between April 25, 1990 and April 24, 1998.

·      He is the first batsman to complete 16,000 runs in One-Day Internationals.

·      His run-aggregate of 16,361 at an average of 44.33 in 417 matches is a world record.

·      His tally of 42 hundreds is a record by any batsman in ODIs.

·      Most Nineties in a career - 17.

·      Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to be dismissed at 99 three times.

·      Most Fifties in a career - 131 (42 centuries + 89 fifties).

·      Seven times in a calendar year, Sachin has aggregated 1000 runs or more. His best year has been 1998, aggregating 1894 runs (ave.65.31) in 34 matches.

·      His 9 centuries in 1998 is a record by any batsman in a calendar year in ODIs.

·      Hit 8 centuries against Australia - most by any player against one opponent.

·      His aggregate of 2730 (ave.46.27) in 60 matches is a record against Australia.

·      Hit 7 centuries against Sri Lanka - a record he shares with Saeed Anwar (Pakistan).

·      Hit 5 centuries against Zimbabwe - a record.

·      Sachin Tendulkar posted 5 centuries against Pakistan, a record he shares with Brian Lara (West Indies).

·      Most Fours in a career: 1785

·      Fastest to 10,000 runs (259 innings), 11,000 (276) and 12,000 (300).

·      Holds a record for most runs in a competition - 673 runs at an average of 61.18 in 2002-03 - a record by any player in eleven games, which is also a world cup record.

·      Australia’s Greg Chappell holds a record for most runs in a competition but he played three matches more than Sachin - 686 (ave.68.60) in 14 matches in the 1980-81 Benson and Hedges World Series.

·      Only batsman to have amassed 500 runs in a world cup twice - apart from his performance in the 2002-03 world cup (as above), he aggregated 523 (ave.897.16) in seven matches in 1995-96.

·      Adjudged the Man of the Match 57 times in ODIs - a world record.

·      Apart from thirteen Man of the Series awards (a record in ODIs), he was also adjudged the Batsman of the series in the Singer World Series in Sri Lanka in 1994.

·      With Sourav Ganguly, Sachin holds a world record for 21 century stands for the first wicket.

·      Aggregated 6609 at an average of 49.32 in 136 innings for the first wicket with Sourav Ganguly - a world record for the first wicket.

·      Aggregated 8227 at an average of 47.55 in 176 innings with Sourav Ganguly - a world record for the highest overall partnership runs by a pair.

·      With Sourav Ganguly, Sachin holds a world record for 26 century stands overall.

·      Holds partnership records for the second wicket (331 with Rahul Dravid against New Zealand at Hyderabad on 8.11.1999) and third wicket(237* with Rahul Dravid against Kenya at Bristol on 23.5.1999).