Sachin Tendulkar becomes the highest run-scorer in the fourth innings of Tests

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar keeps scoring runs at a pace wherein it looks like the record books are running out of pages listing the ones created by the master blaster.

The ‘run machine’ has not yet reached the much-awaited milestone of 100 international centuries, a territory no other cricketer has not yet conquered. But he treated the spectators with yet another feather on his cap by becoming the highest run-getter in fourth innings of Test matches. He went past Rahul Dravid's tally of 1507 runs during the first Test against West Indies recently at an average of 39.86.

The wait for the 100th century stretches back to the World Cup in April, but Sachin fell short of the feat once again by making 76 in the second innings of the Kotla Test. Meanwhile, he completed 15000 runs in Test cricket.

Sachin has scored 51 centuries in Tests and 48 in one-dayers.

Also, he created a record for aggregating most runs in the fourth innings in Tests at an average of 39.86, going past Rahul Dravid's tally of 1507 runs during the first Test against West Indies recently.

Other active members on the list include Rahul Dravid, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith. Tendulkar also became the highest run-getter at the Feroz Shah Kotla, going past Dilip Vengsarkar.

Sachin Tendulkar hits 15,000 Test runs

Sachin Tendulkar of India on Tuesday became the first batsman in history to score 15,000 Test runs.

Tendulkar, 38, achieved the feat when he reached 28 on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi.

Tendulkar was unbeaten on 33 and Rahul Dravid was on 30 as India - set a victory target of 276 - reached 152-2 by stumps.

The Mumbai batsman, playing his 182nd Test match, already holds the world record for most runs and centuries in both Test and one-day cricket.

Tendulkar needs one more three-figure knock to become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds. He has 51 Test and 48 one-day centuries so far.

Dravid is second in the Test scorers list with 12,859 runs, ahead of Ricky Ponting of Australia (12,487) and West Indian Brian Lara (11,953).

Top run-getters in Test cricket (minimum 10,000 runs)

1. 15,005 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND)

2. 12,859 - Rahul Dravid (IND)

3. 12,487 - Ricky Ponting (AUS)

4. 11,953 - Brian Lara (WIS)

5. 11,947 - Jacques Kallis (RSA)

6. 11,174 - Allan Border (AUS)

7. 10,927 - Steve Waugh (AUS)

8. 10,122 - Sunil Gavaskar (IND)

Dravid-Tendulkar pair most successful in Tests

Most runs partnership in test cricket.

Most successful test pair in test cricket.

The duo surpassed the previous record of West Indies legendary pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes who have together shared 6482 runs in partnerships in test cricket

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar put on 55 for the third wicket at The Oval (2011) to become test cricket's most prolific partnership

Tendulkar-Dravid have amassed 19 centuries in tandem, also the highest for any Test partnership.

After Sachin and Darvid here are the most successful pairs in Test

1. G Greenidge and D Haynes (WI) - 6482 runs
2. Matthew Hayden & Justin Langer (AUS) - 6081 runs
3. Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara (SL) - 5261 runs
4. Matthew Hayden & Ricky Ponting (AUS) - 4765 runs
5. Alistair Cook & Andrew Strauss (ENG) - 4635 runs
6. Marvan Atapattu & Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) - 4533 runs
7. Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar (IND) - 4173 runs
8. Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman (IND) - 3902 runs
9. Michael Slater & Mark Taylor (AUS) - 3887 runs

Tendulkar Hits 50th Test Ton

He made his test debut as a 16-year-old in 1989, so Sachin Tendulkar has 21 years in international cricket to reflect on. This year has been one of his best.

Tendulkar, now 37, capped 2010 with an unprecedented 50th career test century for India on day four of the first test against South Africa on Sunday. He now has 11 more centuries and over 2,000 more runs than his nearest rival.

With a record 175 tests and more than two decades at the crease, he should be slowing down or winding up. Not the little master.

Mr. Tendulkar began this year by making 200 in a one-day international, also against South Africa, the only time a batsman has achieved the feat.

He became the first man to 13,000 and then 14,000 test runs. He already has over 3,000 more ODI runs than anyone else.

In 2010, he passed Steve Waugh's 168 test appearances to become the most capped player ever. And he won the International Cricket Council's player of the year award. Now he's scored test century No. 50.

The appetite for runs, and success, hasn't been sated.

"Every innings I want to go out and score runs," Mr. Tendulkar said after Sunday's century. "There has never been a match when I've said, "If I get out early, it's OK." I've never thought like that. So it's extremely important to have that hunger and it's the hunger that keeps one going.

"I'm glad that it's still there."

So is India.

Mr. Tendulkar has been a key part of its recent rise to the top of the test rankings. He is the world's most worshipped cricketer, the biggest sporting star in India, and the game's most successful batsman.

His post-match news conference on Sunday was carried live on TV back in India. Indian reporters said the 50th hundred was what the entire nation was waiting for, what all Indians were hoping for.

They weren't exaggerating.

Mr. Tendulkar has carried the expectations of a country of cricket fans for the best part of two decades. It hasn't appeared to affect his run-making, and certainly didn't in 2010.

In tests, he has powered to seven centuries this year, two of them double hundreds, for the second-highest return in a calendar year after Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf's nine 100s in 2006. Mr. Tendulkar still has one test to play this year.

"I've just been batting, and enjoying my batting," he said. "Sometimes you are striking the ball really well and that is the time you need to cash in as much as possible. I've tried to do that.

"Every time I go out, the country needs me .. it's never, If I don't score it doesn't matter."

Indian media hail Sachin Tendulkar's double century

Indian newspapers have hailed cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's feat of creating the first double century in the history of one-day internationals on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old hit 25 fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 200 off 147 balls as India thrashed South Africa by 153 runs in the city of Gwalior.

Tendulkar is already the leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket.

Several leading former players from around the world have also paid tribute to Tendulkar's achievement.

Writing for cricinfo, former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar said nobody deserved the record better than Tendulkar.

"He has got so many very good hundreds, but he needed that one knock that would create history," he wrote.

"He doesn't have a triple hundred in Tests, he doesn't have the quickest fifty or hundred [in ODIs] or the fastest hundred in Tests. He has just got loads of very good Tests and ODI hundreds."

"So this is something he will specially cherish. He has that one individual innings that he can be really proud of."

'Eye of the tiger'

The Indian Express newspaper carried a photograph of Tendulkar raising his bat after the feat - it was captioned: "God!"

"The record has come late in Tendulkar's career, a career in which India remained in the game far too often and for far too many stretches just by his very presence," the newspaper wrote .

"For that reason, for the sense that Tendulkar now plays in a team that has to win without him, the record is timely."

"200 Not Out", headlined the Hindustan Times newspaper.

"Tendulkar remains the flag bearer of the increasingly dwindling phenomenon of quantity matching quality," the newspaper said .

Business newspaper, The Economic Times, led with the headline, "Two-Tonner Tendulkar".

"[Tendulkar's innings] is a testimony and commitment even as he heads for his 37th birthday. He is looking fit, focussed and formidable as ever, and his timing remains untouched by the passing years," wrote former Pakistani captain, Imran Khan, in the newspaper.

"An absolutely phenomenal record by a truly phenomenal player."

The Hindu newspaper called Tendulkar's innings an "epic effort of focus, flair and dare".

"He is still an explosive athlete; he still has the eye of the tiger."

"Immortal at 200", headlined The Times of India newspaper.

"There are no speed limits on Tendulkar's road to excellence. After two decades of basking in the glory of his sporting pre-eminence on the world stage, India is now privileged to witness the second coming of the most complete and prolific batsman of this age," said the newspaper.

'Finish it, finish it' - Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, a man many believed would get to 200 before the master did, relives the innings of a lifetime

I am the superstitious kind: I never praise a shot because I fear the moment I do so, the batsman gets out. Till Sachin was on 190 in Gwalior, I was rooted in my seat in the dressing room. But when he got to 190, I couldn't contain myself. I came out and started cheering every stroke till he got to 200.

When he got to 180, I knew he was going to get it, but when he was in the 190s I was concerned. If I was in his place, I would have tried to finish it quickly, because the longer I take, the greater the possibility of me getting out. I would try to wrap it up in three or four balls.

Also, he was looking really tired: he had been clutching his right side and showing signs of cramping. So when I stepped out of my seat, I was just saying, "Finish it, finish it."

But Sachin is never in a hurry. He is a different kind of batsman - one who can rotate the strike with ease and understands there is no need to take any chances. Whenever I have been on the brink of landmarks (Melbourne in 2003, Multan 2004) he has instructed me to do this and do that. But those are things only he can do.

You might say, this is 200 - a figure no batsman in the history of the game has crossed - but then we are talking about Tendulkar. He looked calm and confident even when he was at the non-striker's end in those final moments. I knew he just needed one ball, and I also knew he would get the opportunity.

He had started the innings in a confident mood. As soon as he hit his first boundary, off the third ball of the second over, he walked up to me and said the pitch was full of runs and we only needed to time the ball. He told me not to think of boundaries or going after the bowler. He was right: throughout he picked the gaps and played the ball as he saw it. He was not thinking too much and that helped.

Ten years down the line if I am asked to pick a shot or two from his innings I would love to pick many. But the ones that were special to me were the cover drives off the back foot past extra cover, and the punch, once again on the back foot, past point, off Wayne Parnell. Another incredible shot was the straight six over Roelof van der Merwe's head. The left-arm spinner is a difficult one to get away, but Sachin was able to make the room and the energy to hit it clean over the sight screen.

It is not an easy summit for a batsman to conquer because he needs to possess a variety of attributes. In the past I mentioned on four or five occasions that Sachin had the capability to score a double-hundred in ODIs. I was confident only he could achieve such a feat only because of his experience and the kind of form he is in at the moment.

Importantly, he had the hunger and the patience to last for the entire 50 overs. You need to bat out the entire innings to score a double. And it is not so easy because it is not just about hitting boundaries; it is also rotating the strike. I knew if he had 150 balls, he could do it, and he did it in 147 deliveries.

I do not want to dwell here on my own batting, but in the past certain people have said I could have scored 200 in one-day cricket, because of my performances in Tests, where I have got near to a hundred before lunch. But I have had the tendency to take too many risks once I reach the 120 or 130-run mark in ODIs. That is difference between me and Sachin.

We have had chats about him scoring 200. He thought it was difficult, but I told him only he could do it. Last year in New Zealand, when he retired on 163 I told him he had missed the opportunity, but he said "Agar meri kismat mein hoga toh woh mil jayega [It will eventually happen if I am destined to do it]." He said the same when he got 175 against Australia last year. On Wednesday he said "Woh likha tha, toh mil gaya [I got what was destined]".

Back in 1998 everyone felt Sachin was in prime form. I was not in the Indian team then. But I have seen him over the last decade and he is still improving with every match, he is practising more than anybody else in the nets, working hard on his fitness. I think he is in better form now than he was in 1998.

Sachin Tendulkar 200 Runs: ODI History Re-Written

Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest batsman ever, created history on 24 feb 2010 when he made the highest one day international score, in the process also making a double century...

While most teams struggle to make 200 odd runs in 50 overs, Sachin Tendulkar showed that he could do it alone, and indeed in a dramatic fashion posted a personal score of 200* not out, helping India to go past the 400 run mark, and consequently win the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday. In spite of being in the team for almost 20 years, with this innings Sachin has showed that the desire to be the best and play for the country has not diminished one bit. Read more on Sachin Tendulkar, the Master Blaster.

The first double century in ODIs comes after almost 40 years of ODIs being played, including the 60 overs a side matches that were played in the earlier days. These 60 over matches were naturally a batsman's delight as it provided more opportunities to score runs. In spite of that, no one, not one batsman could reach the elusive and highly coveted double century. The closest to come to the 200 run mark was Charles Coventry, from Zimbabwe, who scored 194 not out, eclipsing the record of Saeed Anwar, who had also scored 194, but 'Was Out'. Saeed Anwar's record of 194 stood for 12 long years, and while many great batsman came close to breaking it, no one ever managed it. In fact, the Little Master himself came close once, but ended up being 186 not out. It took a Zimbabwean to break the highest ODI score record, and that came in a match against minnows Bangladesh. Sachin, on the other hand, took the best bowling attack in the world apart, and scored at a phenomenal strike rate of well over hundred. His double ton came in only 147 balls, ensuring that his strike rate was also the 'Best of the Three'.

Records have come naturally to Tendulkar and now only Lara's 400 in test eludes him. But with the way he has been batting of late, this record might also end up being his. And while people may argue that he has not much time left, statistics show that Tendulkar is batting better than ever. A few headlines were even screaming 'Second Coming of Tendulkar', and his innings of 200, with 25 boundaries and 3 sixes, is a testament to this. With 4 tons in the last 4 tests, and his highest 3 ODI scores coming in the last 12 months, Sachin has moved to a higher gear, and this just when the cricketing world thought he was in top gear already.

Tendulkar's 200 not out is undoubtedly the highlight of his career, and what a career he has. Or is having. He is the highest run scorer in both test and ODIs, and has the highest centuries in both tests and ODIs, has scored more than 30000 runs in international cricket, and Sachin's career is far from over.

With impeccable and stupendous batting, his effort in the field too cannot go unnoticed. The famous dive to save a boundary in the first ODI shows Tendulkar's commitment to the game, a game he has been in for 20 years, a game that his records have written and sculpted, a game where his name is compared to God, a game that more than a billion of his countrymen watch, a game where every Indian prays for Tendulkar to score, and score big, a game called CRICKET. And Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, even at 37 years of age, will simply not let them down.

Sachin Tendulkar. A salute to the best batsman in the game. Period.

Nasser Hussain: Mighty Sachin Tendulkar even tops Lara, Ponting and The Don Bradman!

I have never liked comparisons between great players, but after Wednesday’s incredible game it must be said — Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time.

Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself.

Now he has the first double hundred in a one-day international — hitting 25 fours and three sixes as India beat South Africa by 153 runs — he has swung it for me.

I played against Tendulkar on my first England tour, the Nehru Cup in India in 1989, and I could still see that excited boy in big pads in Gwalior.

That extraordinary drive and enthusiasm are what make Tendulkar so special. He has been playing international cricket for 20 years under the intense scrutiny being an Indian superstar brings, so it is remarkable he still loves holding a bat as much as ever.

Halfway through the Indian innings on Wednesday, Tendulkar was already on more than a hundred. It’s almost a given that he will reach three figures. But even he had not turned it into a double in a 50-over international before, and this was not against a lowly side but South Africa, one of the most formidable bowling attacks in the world.

There was no slogging — just pure, attacking strokeplay.

Tendulkar has gone back to being the fluent, almost flamboyant, batsman he used to be. In recent years his innings had become a bit mechanical, but I think he has remembered what made him great.

I interviewed Sachin for Sportsmail when he was touring England a couple of years ago — one of the highlights of my career since I stopped playing, and it was noticeable that he is not driven by money.

He has become a very wealthy man, but that has been as a result of doing what he does best and enjoying it. It has not been the be all and end all for him.

What else is left for Tendulkar now? Well, it is sometimes said that he has not played enough match-winning innings on the really big occasion for India.

What better, then, than to score a hundred in the World Cup final against Australia — or maybe even England — on home soil this time next year.

That would be the full stop that would enable Tendulkar to ride off into the sunset with everything achieved in his career.

My admiration for him is total. To steal the nickname of a certain football coach who led Inter Milan against Chelsea on Wednesday, Sachin Tendulkar truly is The Special One.

Sachin becomes first batsman to score 200 in an ODI

Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books on 24 feb 2010, hammering the first double century in the history of one-day cricket to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.

The capacity crowd at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium witnessed history on Wednesday as Tendulkar, statistically the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, pushed a Charl Langeveldt delivery through the off-side and ran a single to achieve a feat which no other cricketer has achieved.

One-day international cricket, since its 1971 inception, had to wait nearly four decades to see a batsman score 200. The previous best mark was shared by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out against Bangladesh in 2009) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194 against India in 1997).

As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer.

His captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down from the striker's end to shake hands and hug him.

And as Tendulkar set on his way back to the pavilion after the completion of the Indian innings, a tumultuous celebration greeted him.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation as the entire stadium erupted in euphoria while his teammates were simply ecstatic as they clapped and hugged each other, basking in the glory of their senior teammates.

Tendulkar batted like a man with a mission on Wednesday and the South African bowlers simply had no clue where to bowl.

Once he crossed the 150-mark, the crowd anticipated something special and Tendulkar did not let them down.

A six off Roelof van der Merwe took him past Kapil Dev's 175 not out and in the next over, he hit Jacques Kallis for a four to equal his previous best of 186 not out that had come against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999.

The crowd got restless as Tendulkar approached the 194-run mark and a couple off Wayne Parnell saw him eclipse it.

His teammates and spectators were on the edge of their seat with a double century round the corner but with Dhoni going berserk at the striker's end and facing most of the deliveries, it was an agonising wait for all.

Dhoni took singles off the final deliveries of the 47th-49th overs and Tendulkar finally took strike with four balls left in the innings.

The first ball he received from Langeveldt was steered past point and Tendulkar ran for a single to remain unbeaten after an unforgettable unbeaten 200 that came off just 147 balls with 25 fours and three sixes in it.

It was yet another milestone for the man, who has some 30,000 international runs under his belt, including 93 centuries (47 in Tests and 46 in ODIs).

No better bat to score ODI double than Sachin

Saeed Anwar stopped six short 13 years ago. Charles Coventry didn't seem worthy enough. Tendulkar was robbed of it twice last year itself. Finally, the elusive double century is for the master batsman to have, as he lashed South Africa to all parts of the Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior on Wednesday.

Tendulkar's 46th one-day hundred was converted into a double with 25 fours and three sixes, the boundaries alone making up more than a century in his mammoth yet destructive 140-ball effort.

For the Indian batting genius with over 20 years in international cricket, records have fallen by the wayside ever since he took on opening in one-day cricket as Test records continued to break.