Cricket has seen many great players who have made everyone praise them worldwide. From Don Bradman to Virat Kohli, some of the greatest players have played this game. But one man who made the name for himself, carried the expecations of billions for more than two decades, and performed went on to earn the tag of “God of Cricket.” We are talking about Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, born on April 24, 1973, in Mumbai. He made his debut at the age of 16.
He faced the likes of Wasim Akrma, Imran Khan, and Abdul Qadir, too, without a helmet. Not many believed that the 16-year-old kid would end up becoming the greatest of all time. Sachin dominated the cricket world for 24 years and hung his boots in 2013. In his 24-year super career, he achieved almost all the batting records, and even some great players termed him one of the best of all time.
Who is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar?
Born into a middle-class family on April 24, 1973, Sachin’s father, Ramesh Tendulkar, was a novelist and poet, and his mother, Rajni, was a working lady in the insurance sector. He lived in the Sahitya Sahawas Cooperative Housing Society” in Bandra (East) and joined the M.R.F. Foundation during his schooling days to become a fast bowler. However, former Australian legend Dennis Lillee asked him to become a batter.
That decision turned out to be a legendary one. While playing an inter-school game, Sachin Tendulkar played a gigantic innings of 326 runs at the age of 14, which caught the eyes of everyone, and that’s where his journey started. He made his first-class debut in December 1988 for Mumbai at the age of 15. At the age of 18, he had centuries in Australia and West Indies and got the captaincy at the very young age of 23. Here we will see his overall states.
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God of Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar: Awards and Achievements
Arjuna Award – 1994
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award – 1997-1998
Wisden “Cricketer of the Year” – 1997
Padma Shri -1999
Maharashtra Bhushan Award – 2001
“Player of the Tournament” in the Cricket World Cup -2003
I.C.C. World O.D.I. XI – 2004 and 2007
“Rajiv Gandhi Award” in the sports category – 2005
Padma Vibhushan – 2008
“Cricketer of the Year” in the I.C.C. Award – 2010
The Asian Awards for the “People’s Choice” and “Exceptional Achievement in Sports” 2010 (London)
“B.C.C.I. Cricketer of the Year” Award on May 31, 2011
The “Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year” Award on January 28, 2011
Wisden India Outstanding Achievement Award on June 11, 2012
Honorary Member of the Order of Australia by the Australian government on November 6, 2012
Bharat Ratna – 2014
First brand Ambassador of UNICEF for South Asia on November 28, 2013
“Most Influential People in the World” – Time 100 list
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God of Cricket: Sachin Tendulkar’s Records
Most International Centuries: Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer who has the most international centuries in the game. He has 100 international centuries and is the only cricketer to achieve this rare feat. He has scored 51 Tests and 49 ODI centuries.
Most International Matches: Sachin Tendulkar has played a total of 664 runs between 1989 and 2013, which is the most by a player. He has played 200 Tests, 463 ODIs, and one T20I.
Most International Runs: Sachin is the only batter with 30,000 runs in international cricket. He has scored the most runs in both ODIs and Tests. Overall, Sachin has 34357 runs in 782 innings. He has scored 15921 runs in Tests and 18426 in ODIs.
Most International Half-centuries: With runs, matches, and hundreds, Sachin has also registered the most international half-centuries in history. He has scored 164 fifties (68 Tests and 96 ODIs), which is the most in the game.
Most International Fours: Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara has hit the second-most boundaries in international cricket as he has hit 3015 fours. But guess what? Sachin has hit more than 1,000 more boundaries than him. He has hit 4076 boundaries in cricket, which is the most in history.
Most Balls Faced in International Cricket: Sachin’s longevity was inparallel. He has played over 50817 deliveries in his international cricket, which is even more than 10000 deliveries from second-ranked Kumar Sangakkar.
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