Introduction:

Sachin Tendulkar is still regarded as the best cricketer of all time. During his career, the batting icon played some incredible cricket and set the standard high for future batters as well. On April 24, 1973, he was born in Dadar, Bombay (now Mumbai). The legendary cricketer came from a humble background as his father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a renowned Marathi novelist and poet, and his mother, Rajni, was an LIC agent in a foreign company. At the age of 11, he took up the sport and got recognition with his impactful unbroken 664-run stand with his friend and teammate Vinod Kambli in a Lord Harris Shield inter-school match against St. Xavier’s High School in 1988. 

Sachin Tendulkar Career Information

Test Debut: Pakistan vs India at National Stadium, November 15-20, 1989
ODI Debut: Pakistan vs India at Jinnah Stadium, December 18, 1989
T20I Debut: South Africa vs India at The Wanderers Stadium, December 1, 2006

Early Domestic Career:

In November 1987, a 14-year-old Tendulkar was selected to represent Bombay in the Ranji Trophy. However, that year, he didn’t get a chance to feature in the playing XI in any of the games. In December 1988, he made his debut playing a first-class game for Bombay against Gujarat at Wankhede Stadium. In his maiden domestic appearance, Tendulkar smashed an unbeaten 100 and became the youngest cricketer to score a ton on debut in first-class cricket.

International Career:

Tendulkar kicked off his international career against Pakistan in a Test match in Karachi in November 1989. Playing his debut match, Tendulkar batted valiantly despite facing blows to his body from Pakistan speedsters. With this appearance, he also became the youngest cricketer to make an international debut for India. Following the Test series, he also played the ODI series against the Men in Green.

During India’s tour of England in 1990, Tendulkar played a notable knock of 119 runs in the second Test match of the series in Manchester and became the second youngest batter to score a century in the longest format of the sport. In the 1991-92 India tour of Australia, he showed his brilliance with the bat again, becoming the leading run-scorer with a couple of centuries.

Rise through the ranks:

After crossing his 20s, Tendulkar’s career started thriving at a fast pace. During the New Zealand tour in 1994, he played as an opener for the first time in Auckland against the hosts and scored 82 runs off 49 deliveries. In the same year, he also scored his first ton against Australia in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

In the 1996 World Cup at home, he became the highest run-scorer with two tons and three half-centuries. Tendulkar grabbed attention again in Sharjah with his exquisite knock of 143 runs off 131 deliveries against Australia in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup. Earlier, he looked brilliant against the Aussies in Tests at home becoming the highest-run scorer in the Border-Gavaskar trophy 1997-98. During the 1999 World Cup, his father Ramesh Tendulkar passed away and he returned to India to perform the last rites of his father. After missing the game against Zimbabwe, he joined the team against Kenya and scored 140 runs off 101 deliveries.

Incredible 2003 World Cup:

In the 2003 World Cup held in South Africa, Tendulkar looked spectacular with the bat scoring 673 runs in 11 matches. With his superb effort, the team ended up as runners-up in the competition, losing to Australia in the final at Johannesburg.

2007 World Cup debacle and Comeback:

In 2007, India endured a horrendous campaign in the World Cup in the West Indies. Under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, the Men in Blue got knocked out of the tournament after losing to Bangladesh and then Sri Lanka. The tournament went dismal for Tendulkar along with other senior players as well. Against the Bangla Boys and the Islanders, he struggled to pile up runs scoring only 7 and 0 respectively.

After India’s failure in the marquee event, Tendulkar gained his old form back. Against Ricky Ponting-led Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2007-08, he showcased his experience and became the highest run-getter, racking up 493 runs in four matches. 

In 2009, he became the first batter to score 17,000 runs in One-Day Internationals. In the same game, he played one of the best ODI innings of his career against Australia in Hyderabad. Following the target of 351, Tendulkar stunned the Aussie bowlers with his 175 runs off just 141 deliveries. In the end, the Men in Blue lost the game, however, his spunky knock goes down as one of the Best ODI batting performance.

Achieving the Dream & Retirement:

India hosted the 2011 World Cup along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. As the tournament was conducted in the sub-continent conditions, India also grabbed the chances with both hands as MS Dhoni led his side to a World Cup victory after 28 years lifitng the cup at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. In the mind-boggling trophy win, the cricketing maestro contributed well becoming the second-leading run-scorer in the tournament following Sri Lanka’s Tilakaratne Dilshan.

Spectacular IPL Career:

Banking on Sachin’s experience and batting skills, Mumbai Indians signed him as their icon player and also appointed him to lead their side in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the initial two seasons, Tendulkar struggled as a batter and skipper. However, in the third instalment of the competition, MI reached the final of the tournament under his captaincy. Along with the leadership role, he looked fine with his bat as well by winning the Orange Cap.

In 2013, he appeared for the last time in the cash-rich league and wrapped up his career with 2334 runs in 78 matches at a strike rate of 119.82.

Retirement:

In December 2012, Tendulkar announced his ODI retirement after serving India’s ODI team for 23 years. The batting master ended his One-Day career piling up more than 18,000 runs with 49 centuries and 96 fifties in 463 contests. In November 2013, he put curtains on his career after playing his last Test match against the West Indies at his home ground Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. His memorable farewell speech brought tears to the faces of his supporters.

Sachin Tendulkar's Personal Life:

On May 24, 1995, Tendulkar married Anjali Mehta, who was a paediatrician by profession. Along with her, he has a daughter Sara and a son Arjun. In 2012, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha.