On this day in 1994, Tendulkar scored maiden ODI ton after 5-yr wait
Sep 09, 2020
New Delhi [India], September 9 : On this day in 1994, legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden ODI century after playing 78 games over a span of five years.
It was on this day 26 years ago that Tendulkar amassed the first of his 49 ODI centuries in the match against Australia in Colombo, in his 79th 50-over game.
The then-19-year-old right-handed batsman scored 110 runs off 130 balls in an innings when no other Indian batsman could cross the 50-run mark. His innings played a key role in the side's victory in the match, as India won by 31 runs.
Tendulkar was also awarded the Player of the Match award for his brilliant knock that was studded with two sixes and eight fours.
Tendulkar was lucky enough to get a century in the Test cricket before ODIs. At the age of 17 years and 112 days, he became the third-youngest batsman to score a Test ton. Tendulkar took eight Test matches to bring up his first 100-plus score in international cricket, managing 119 not out off 189 balls in the final innings, helping India draw the game against England. The knock also earned Tendulkar his first Player of the Match award.
The Maharashtra-born player had an illustrious career in the game, creating several records. Tendulkar made his debut in Test cricket on November 15, 1989. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match.
The legendary cricketer has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs. Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, most by any player.
Things are no different in ODI cricket as Tendulkar sits atop the list of most runs in this format as well. He has accumulated 18,426 runs in ODI which includes 49 tons. Tendulkar represented the country in six World Cups during his career that lasted 24 years. He was the part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.
