Sachin Tendulkar Birthday Special: The Boy from Mumbai Who Conquered World of Cricket!

The Day April 24, will truly be a festival for every Indian fan as veteran Indian batsman and 'God of Cricket' Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his birthday on this day and turns 51. Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation on his shoulders for 24 years and has given his everything to the country and made the fans proud. The 'Master Blaster' has turned out to be the only player in international cricket to score over 30000 runs and secure 100 hundreds. On This Day in 2012: Sachin Tendulkar Became First Cricketer to Score 100 International Centuries (Watch Video)

The First Steps in International Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar had a pretty interesting start to his cricketing journey against the arch-rivals Pakistan. A young little 16-year-old playing with the likes of veteran Indian players such as Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Mohammad Azharuddin. While Sachin had many legendary players behind his side, on the other hand, was the lethal Pakistani pace attack of Wasim Akram, Imran Khan and the debutant Waqar Younis. Sachin scored 15 runs in his first Test inning and was dismissed by Younis. Sachin Tendulkar Recalls Anecdote About Female Ground Staff Member From 2008 Chennai Test, Highlights Jacintha Kalyan on International Women’s Day 2024

Playing Down The Pakistani Challenge

While, the 'Master Blaster' wasn't able to leave much impact in the first Test, but his 59-run knock-off 179 balls against the likes of Imran Khan and Wasim Akram showcased the amount of talent and grace Sachin Tendulkar had. Also, his short little innings gave many cricketing experts a signal that this young baby face right-handed Mumbai batter would be the next big thing in international cricket.

Sharjah Storm

As the years passed, Sachin Tendulkar made a very special place in the hearts of a billion Indian fans. It was the year 1998 when India were playing against Australia in the Coca-Cola Cup. Till now, Tendulkar was known to be a technically sound batsman who used to spend his time on the crease and score runs accordingly, however, Tendulkar broke all the barriers and showed his fans a different avatar. Sachin smacked the Australian bowlers to all the parts of the Sharjah International Stadium and scored 143 runs off 131 balls with a strike rate of nearly 110. Though, India lost the match by 26 runs but that knock established a different relationship between Sachin and Australia.

Centurion Special Against Pakistan

The time now had entered the 2000s when Sachin Tendulkar had now become the heartbeat of the Indian cricket team. The Indian fans used to believe any match is alive until Tendulkar remains on the crease. It was the 2003 ODI World Cup and the high-profile India vs Pakistan clash. In front was the pace trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, which was one of the deadliest of that time. On a fast Centurion surface, India needed to chase down 274 runs. The target wasn't easy for India in front of a deadly Pakistan pace attack but Sachin Tendulkar played with the opposition bowlers and hit them very easily. Tendulkar's six to Akhtar over the leg side is one of the most iconic shots of his entire career. Though, Tendulkar wasn't able to score a hundred but his innings of 98 runs from 75 balls was more than a hundred and helped his team beat Pakistan by six wickets.

'No Drive' At The SCG

After a brilliant 2003, the start of 2004 brought a very tough challenge for Sachin Tendulkar as runs almost dried up from his bat on the tour of Australia. Runs weren't coming out of Sachin's bat and the irony was that the 'Master Blaster' was getting out in the same fashion while playing a drive. The fourth Test series was all set to take in Sydney. Tendulkar came into bat and the Aussies had set up the same plan set for him. However, it was Tendulkar's determination which led him to not play a single cover drive in his innings of 241 runs off 436 balls which included 33 fours. The match ended in a draw but this innings was an inspiration for all the young batsmen.

Final Walk at The Wankhede

It was the year 2013, the second India vs West Indies Test match, and came Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing the last innings of his 24-year-old international career at his home ground in Mumbai. The whole Wankhede crowd went ecstatic and there were only chants of 'Sachin-Sachin'. Tendulkar smashed 74 runs off 118 balls. It was the same elegance and timing that he showcased throughout his innings and also that every Indian fan is used to of seeing. The match was not only the final time fans saw the 'god' play on the cricket field but it was also the end of an era.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2024 05:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).