5 most glorious moments from Sachin Tendulkar’s career

A legendary Indian cricketer and a batting icon, Sachin Tendulkar is widely recognized as one of the greatest batters to have ever graced the game. The champion batter wowed fans for more than two decades, compiling several memorable innings for the Indian team, and on the eve of his 50th birthday, we list the most glorious moments from his dazzling international career.

The first men’s cricketer to register a double century in ODIs

A jam-packed crowd in Gwalior witnessed history when one of their favourite sons, Sachin Tendulkar, eclipsed the highest score in an ODI game. While breaching the highest score in ODIs against a star-studded South African bowling attack was an incredible feat in itself, the iconic cricketer went one better by breaching the 200-run mark in the innings, the first men’s cricketer to ever do so in the 50-over format.

100 international centuries

The legendary Indian batter has had several memorable moments in his career but his ODI century against Bangladesh in the 2012 Asia Cup has to be one of his favourite moments. His 49th and his last ODI century was a special one, as it took his tally to 100 centuries in international cricket, the first and only cricketer to reach the landmark. Notably, Tendulkar remains to be the cricketer with the most centuries across formats, to date.

The Desert Storm in Sharjah

Sachin Tendulkar played numerous match-winning innings for the Indian team during his illustrious international career, but his sensational knock against the Aussies in the Coca-Cola Cup in 1998 will forever be remembered as one of his greatest knocks. The diminutive opener registered a nonchalant 143 off just 131 deliveries, playing a heroic lone hand in a losing cause.

A whirlwind 2003 World Cup

The eye-pleasing strokemaker was at his very best in the 2003 edition of the World Cup in South Africa. He was the driving force behind India’s run-through to the final of the competition. Although he failed to make an impact for his side in the final against Ricky Ponting’s Australia, his tally of 673 runs in the competition earned him the Player of the Tournament award.

A homecoming for the ages

A World Cup trophy eluded the iconic batter for the entirety of his career, and his search eventually ended in his sixth and last World Cup. It was a dream come true moment for Sachin Tendulkar as he lifted the prestigious trophy in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai when India defeated neighbours Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup final.