This is Part 5 of Legends of Indian Cricket, our 20-part series on the players who shaped the game in India. New here? Start with Part 1: Vinoo Mankad, or read the previous part, Part 4: Kapil Dev.
For 24 years, a nation of more than a billion people stopped what it was doing whenever Sachin Tendulkar walked out to bat. Born in Mumbai in 1973, he became the most prolific batter in the history of the game.
A teenage prodigy
Tendulkar made his Test debut in Karachi in November 1989, aged just 16, against a Pakistan attack that included Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Hit on the nose by a bouncer in one match, he refused to leave the field. At 17 he scored his first Test century, at Old Trafford.
The record breaker
- 200 Tests, the most ever: 15,921 runs and 51 centuries.
- 463 ODIs: 18,426 runs and 49 centuries.
- The only player with 100 international centuries.
- In 2010 against South Africa in Gwalior, he scored the first double century in ODI history.
Desert Storm and 2003
In Sharjah in 1998, he scored back-to-back centuries against Australia amid a sandstorm, innings still called the "Desert Storm". At the 2003 World Cup he was Player of the Tournament with 673 runs, then a record.
2011: the dream fulfilled
After five World Cup campaigns, Tendulkar finally won the trophy at his home ground, Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, in 2011. His teammates carried him around the ground on their shoulders.
Farewell and honours
- He retired after his 200th Test in Mumbai in November 2013, with a farewell speech that moved the nation.
- He became the first sportsperson, and the youngest person, to receive the Bharat Ratna, in 2014.
- He also served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.
Legacy
Tendulkar showed a generation of Indian children that they could be the best in the world. Many of the stars in this series, including Virat Kohli, grew up idolising him.
Statistics are for international cricket and are correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026; figures for active players will change.
Next in the series: Part 6: Anil Kumble.
