Hats off to Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar has at last scored his hundredth international hundred. This is an exciting climax for his glittering career. He was under tremendous pressure for a long time after he had scored the 99th century. Now that he has completed century in the matter of scoring century he must be feeling like a free man devoid of any kind of stress, tension or pressure.
The Little Master appeared to have tremendously enjoyed his career at international level. The national obsession with him has become still stronger. The 38-year-old genius would play cricket in such a way that every innings of his would affect the country's mood. Typically, Tendulkar has pursued his career with absolute dignity. He would talk little and he would always maintain that he plays not for records but because he loves the game. Yet it's his numbers that help put his greatness in perspective. A 100th hundred has solid weight. The roundness of the figure allows us to stand back and comprehend its staggering enormity.
Longevity is the gold standard of greatness. Tendulkar has survived for very long in international cricket arena. In his 23 years in international cricket, the great man has seen the game evolve both subtly and significantly. Tendulkar has been a major part of the evolution, his batsmanship and the bowlers' reaction to it has altered the game of cricket. Cricket hasn't seen a better Test and One-Day International batsman. Sir Vivian Richards was a dominant master too and he's Tendulkar's only competitor for the honour but the Indian has done it for longer and with greater consistency than the illustrious West Indian. Tendulkar holds Richards in the highest esteem.
The list of first-rate bowlers Tendulkar has faced is a long one. These bowlers include Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sir Richard Hadlee, Craig McDermott, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Muttiah Muralitharan, Brett Lee, James Anderson, and Dale Steyn. A hundred hundreds against these worthies is, without a doubt, one of the finest achievements in modern-day cricket.
Thus with Tendulkar's hundred, a peak has been scaled, a long wait fulfilled and a glorious chapter added to cricketing lore. Sachin Tendulkar's love affair with international hundreds, which began with an unbeaten 119 against England at Manchester in August 1990, registered an immense statistical high. The maestro's 100th century in the global arena 51 in Tests, 49 in ODIs will remain a benchmark that will hold batsmen in awe much like Sir Don Bradman's Test average of 99.94. Congrats, Sachin!
Sachin Tendulkar has at last scored his hundredth international hundred. This is an exciting climax for his glittering career. He was under tremendous pressure for a long time after he had scored the 99th century. Now that he has completed century in the matter of scoring century he must be feeling like a free man devoid of any kind of stress, tension or pressure.The Little Master appeared to have tremendously enjoyed his career at international level. The national obsession with him has become still stronger. The 38-year-old genius would play cricket in such a way that every innings of his would affect the country's mood. Typically, Tendulkar has pursued his career with absolute dignity. He would talk little and he would always maintain that he plays not for records but because he loves the game. Yet it's his numbers that help put his greatness in perspective. A 100th hundred has solid weight. The roundness of the figure allows us to stand back and comprehend its staggering enormity.
Longevity is the gold standard of greatness. Tendulkar has survived for very long in international cricket arena. In his 23 years in international cricket, the great man has seen the game evolve both subtly and significantly. Tendulkar has been a major part of the evolution, his batsmanship and the bowlers' reaction to it has altered the game of cricket. Cricket hasn't seen a better Test and One-Day International batsman. Sir Vivian Richards was a dominant master too and he's Tendulkar's only competitor for the honour but the Indian has done it for longer and with greater consistency than the illustrious West Indian. Tendulkar holds Richards in the highest esteem.
The list of first-rate bowlers Tendulkar has faced is a long one. These bowlers include Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sir Richard Hadlee, Craig McDermott, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie, Muttiah Muralitharan, Brett Lee, James Anderson, and Dale Steyn. A hundred hundreds against these worthies is, without a doubt, one of the finest achievements in modern-day cricket.
Thus with Tendulkar's hundred, a peak has been scaled, a long wait fulfilled and a glorious chapter added to cricketing lore. Sachin Tendulkar's love affair with international hundreds, which began with an unbeaten 119 against England at Manchester in August 1990, registered an immense statistical high. The maestro's 100th century in the global arena 51 in Tests, 49 in ODIs will remain a benchmark that will hold batsmen in awe much like Sir Don Bradman's Test average of 99.94. Congrats, Sachin!
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