He went to score 99 more, a record still unmatched and standing tall like the Himalayas. But ask Sachin Tendulkar and his first international century will always be the one he will remember very fondly.
On August 14 in 1990, an unbeaten 119 against England at the Old Trafford in Manchester marked the beginning of the Tendulkar era. His knock in the second innings emerged as the biggest talking point from the Test.
Chasing 408 for victory, India were down in the dumps at 183/6, when Tendulkar showed superb composure as a teenager and exhibited his repertoire of exquisite drives on the off-side against English pacers.
Sharing a 160-run partnership with Manoj Prabhakar, Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 119 and helped India draw the match. The Master Blaster was just 17 when he hit that magnificent knock – the third-youngest batsman ever to register a Test century.
The rest was indeed history as the Mumbai batting masterclass went on to become a ‘demigod’ in India and arguably the greatest batsman to have played the game since Don Bradman.
Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, scored 15,921 and 18,426 runs respectively in 200 Tests and 463 matches he played for India.
–IANS
