In 1988, while playing for Sharadashram, Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli batted in an unbroken 664-run partnership in a Lord Harris Shield inter-school game against St. Xavier's High School. Tendulkar scored 326 (not out) in that match and scored over 1,000 runs in the tournament.[54] This was a record partnership in any form of cricket until 2006, when it was broken by two junior cricketers in Hyderabad, India.[55]
In 1992, at the age of 19, Tendulkar became the first overseas-born player to represent Yorkshire, which prior to Tendulkar joining the team, never selected players, even UK-based, from outside Yorkshire.[30][Note 1] Selected for Yorkshire as a replacement for the injured Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott, Tendulkar played 16 first-class matches for the team and scored 1,070 runs at an average of 46.52.[68]
Tendulkar was the youngest player to debut for India in Tests at the age of 16 years and 205 days, and also the youngest player to debut for India in ODI at the age of 16 years and 238 days.[71][72] Tendulkar made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989 aged 16 years and 205 days. He scored 15 runs, being bowled by Waqar Younis, who also made his debut in that match. He was noted for how he handled numerous blows to his body at the hands of the Pakistani pace attack.[73] In the fourth and final Test match in Sialkot, he was hit on the nose by a bouncer bowled by Younis, but he declined medical assistance and continued to bat even as he his nose gushed blood.[74] In a 20-over exhibition game in Peshawar, held in parallel with the bilateral series, Tendulkar made 53 runs off 18 balls, including an over in which he scored 27 runs bowled by leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.[75] This was later called "one of the best innings I have seen" by the then Indian captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth.[76] In all, Tendulkar scored 215 runs at an average of 35.83 in the Test series, and was dismissed without scoring a run in the only One Day International (ODI) he played.[77][78]
The series was followed by a tour of New Zealand in which he scored 117 runs at an average of 29.25 in Tests.[79] He was dismissed without scoring in one of the two ODI games he played, and scored 36 in the other.[80] On a 1990 tour to England, on 14 August, he became the second-youngest cricketer to score a Test century as he made 119 not out in the second Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.[74] Wisden described his innings as "a disciplined display of immense maturity" and also wrote, "He looked the embodiment of India's famous opener, Gavaskar, and indeed was wearing a pair of his pads. While he displayed a full repertoire of strokes in compiling his maiden Test hundred, most remarkable were his off-side shots from the back foot. Though only 5ft 5in tall, he was still able to control without difficulty short deliveries from the English pacemen".[81]
Tendulkar opened the batting at Auckland against New Zealand in 1994, making 82 runs off 49 balls.[83] He scored his first ODI century on 9 September 1994 against Australia in Sri Lanka at Colombo.[84][85] He competed in 78 ODIs before scoring his first century.[citation needed]
After the World Cup, in the same year against Pakistan at Sharjah, Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin was going through a lean patch. Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu both made centuries to set a then record partnership for the second wicket. After getting out, Tendulkar found Azharuddin in two minds about whether he should bat.[citation needed] Tendulkar convinced Azharuddin to bat and Azharuddin subsequently unleashed 24 runs off one over.[88] India went on to win that match. It enabled India to post a score in excess of 300 runs for the first time in an ODI.[89]
Tendulkar scored 143 (131) runs in Sharjah against the Australian team in the 1998 Coca-Cola cup, including 5 sixes in an innings against Shane Warne, Damien Fleming and Michael Kasprowicz. The inning is known as the "Desert Storm" because it was interrupted by a sand storm. In 2020, a poll from the ICC declared it Tendulkar's best ODI innings.[90]
In 2007, in a Test series during India's tour of Bangladesh, Tendulkar returned to his opening slot and was chosen as the Man of the Series.[163] He continued by scoring 99 and 93 in the first two matches of the Future Cup against South Africa. During the second match, he also became the first to score 15,000 runs in ODIs.[164] He was the leading run scorer and was adjudged the Man of the Series.[165][166]
On the second day of the Nottingham Test on 28 July 2007, Tendulkar became the third cricketer to complete 11,000 Test runs.[167]In the subsequent one-day series against England, Tendulkar was the leading run scorer from India[168] with an average of 53.42. In the ODI Series against Australia in October 2007 Tendulkar was the leading Indian run scorer with 278 runs.[169]
In the One-Day International Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series involving India, Sri Lanka and Australia, Tendulkar became the only batsman to complete 16,000 runs in ODIs.[190] He achieved this feat against Sri Lanka on 5 February 2008 at the Gabba in Brisbane. He started the series wth scores of 10, 35, 44 and 32.[191] His form dipped a bit in the middle of the tournament,[original research?] but Tendulkar came back strongly in India's must-win game against Sri Lanka at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, scoring 63 off 54 balls.[192] He finished the series with a match winning 117 not out off 120 balls in the first final,[193] and 91 runs in the second final.[194] Both the knocks were nominated to be the ODI Batting Performance of the year by ESPNCricinfo.[195]
Before the Indian cricket team's tour of Sri Lanka in July 2008, Tendulkar needed 177 runs to go past Brian Lara's record of Test 11,953 runs. However, he failed in all six innings, scoring a total of 95 runs. India lost the series and his average of 15.83 was his worst in a Test series with at least three matches.[198]
Tendulkar rested himself for the ODI tour of West Indies,[222] but was back for the Compaq Cup Tri Series between India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in early September 2009. He made 46[223] and 27[224] in the league matches before notching up 138 in the final, as India made 319 and won by 46 runs.[225] This was Tendulkar's sixth century in a final of an ODI tournament and his third consecutive score of over 50 in such finals.[226]
From February to April, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka hosted the 2011 World Cup. Amassing 482 runs at an average of 53.55 including two centuries, Tendulkar was India's leading run-scorer for the tournament; only Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka scored more runs in the 2011 tournament,[253] and was named in the ICC "Team of the Tournament".[254] India defeated Sri Lanka in the final.[255] Shortly after the victory, Tendulkar commented that "Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. ... I couldn't control my tears of joy."[256]
However, because of a poor form in the first two Tests in the series against England, and India being humiliated in the second match of that series by 10 wickets on 26 November 2012,[273] some people have started to question his place in the Indian team. A report by The Hindustan Times said that Tendulkar had a discussion with the national chief selector Sandeep Patil, in which he said that he would leave it to the selectors to decide on his future as he is not getting any runs.[274] This speculation, however, was later considered to be false.[275][276]
On 10 October 2013 Tendulkar announced that he would retire from all cricket after the two-Test series against West Indies in November.[290][291] At his request, the BCCI arranged that the two matches be played at Kolkata and Mumbai so that the farewell would happen at his home ground.[292][293] He scored 74 runs in his last Test innings against West Indies, thus failing short by 79 runs to complete 16,000 runs in Test cricket, the next man to bat after him was the future captain Virat Kohli.[23][294] The Cricket Association of Bengal and the Mumbai Cricket Association organised events to mark his retirement from the sport.[295][296] Various national and international figures from cricket, politics, Bollywood and other fields spoke about him in a day-long Salaam Sachin Conclave organised by India Today.[297][298]
In 2010 edition of Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians reached the final of the tournament. Tendulkar made 618 runs in 14 innings during the tournament, breaking Shaun Marsh's record of most runs in an IPL season. He was declared player of the tournament for his performance during the season. He also won Best Batsman and Best Captain awards at 2010 IPL Awards ceremony.[311] Tendulkar has scored more than 500 runs in IPL in two different seasons as a captain.[312]
Sachin Tendulkar captained Mumbai Indians in 4 league matches of the second edition of the Champions League T20. He scored 68 in the first match and 48 against Guyana. But Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for semifinals after losing the initial two matches. Tendulkar scored 135 runs.[313]
In the 2011 IPL, against Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Tendulkar scored his maiden Twenty20 hundred. He scored 100 not out off 66 balls. In 2013, Tendulkar retired from Indian Premier League and in 2014 he was appointed as the Mumbai Indian's "Team Icon".[314][315] His last match for the team was thefinal of the 2013 Champions League, where he scored 14 runs in an Indians victory. In his 78 matches in the IPL, Tendulkar scored a total of 2,334 runs; at the time of his retirement he was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the competition's history.[316] Mumbai Indians retired his number 10 jersey as a tribute to Tendulkar.[317]
Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in Test matches, with 15,921 runs, as well as in ODI matches, with 18,426 runs.[30] He is the only player to score more than 30,000 runs combined in all forms of international cricket (Test, ODI, and Twenty20).[24] He is the 16th player and the first Indian to score 50,000 runs in all forms of domestic and international recognised cricket (First-class, List A, and Twenty20). He achieved this feat on 5 October 2013, during a Champions League Twenty20 match for his IPL team Mumbai Indians against Trinidad and Tobago.[372][373][374]
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