Sachin Tendulkar: Career Profile of India’s Batting Great

Early life and rise

Sachin Tendulkar was born in Mumbai in 1973 and came through the city’s intensely competitive club and school cricket scene. He was marked out as a prodigy while still a teenager, and he made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989 at the age of 16. Facing a fearsome pace attack on that tour, he showed a composure that belied his years and quickly became a fixture in the Indian side.

Playing style

Tendulkar was admired for his balance, compact technique and the range of strokes he could play on any surface. He was equally comfortable against pace and spin, and he adapted his game as formats changed, moving from a patient Test batter to an attacking opener in one-day cricket. He also bowled useful medium pace and spin when India needed a breakthrough.

Career highlights

Over a career that stretched from 1989 to 2013, Tendulkar became the first batter to score 100 international centuries, a milestone that remains unmatched. He played 200 Test matches, more than any other player, and finished with 15,921 Test runs and 51 Test hundreds. In one-day internationals he played 463 matches and scored 18,426 runs, including 49 hundreds. These totals are as of the end of 2024 and reflect his final international appearances.

In February 2010 he made 200 not out against South Africa in Gwalior, the first double century in men’s one-day international cricket. He played in six World Cups and was named player of the tournament in 2003, and in 2011 he finally lifted the trophy as part of India’s winning squad on home soil. In the Indian Premier League he represented Mumbai Indians.

Farewell and legacy

Tendulkar retired from international cricket in November 2013 after his 200th Test, played at the Wankhede Stadium in his home city of Mumbai. The occasion drew emotional scenes from fans and team-mates alike. India awarded him the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, in 2014.

His influence goes beyond statistics. For more than two decades he carried the expectations of a cricket-mad nation, and generations of Indian batters have cited him as the reason they took up the game. Whenever the greatest batters in history are discussed, his name is among the first to be mentioned.

Frequently asked questions

How many international centuries did Sachin Tendulkar score?

He scored 100 international centuries, 51 in Tests and 49 in one-day internationals, and he was the first batter to reach that mark.

When did Sachin Tendulkar make his Test debut?

He made his Test debut for India against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989, when he was 16 years old.

When did Sachin Tendulkar retire?

He retired from international cricket in November 2013 after playing his 200th Test match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.