Sachin Tendulkar with Mohammad Azharuddin (Source: @RSingh6969a/x.com)
If the world asks about Sachin Tendulkar, no single word can contain him; even a sentence feels too small for someone who emerged as a superhuman to human. In 1989, a 16-year-old Mumbai kid walked in with a dream to play for India, and the game answered by turning him into the ‘God of Indian Cricket’.
On November 15, a kid walked out to make his Test debut against an opponent like Pakistan. When the world doubted the kid’s future after a modest start, time gave them the best answer.
Even in the beginning, humble God wrote the best script for the ‘God of Indian Cricket’. When he left the game, those doubters became his biggest admirers. So let’s travel back 36 years to November 15, the day the Master Blaster first stepped onto the international stage.
Humble 15-run start sets the blueprint for India’s new era
Every budding cricketers dreams of making a debut for India. Some of the debuts came with pure brilliance, and some witnessed humble beginnings. In the cricket world, Master Blaster is not just a cricketer anymore, as he has turned himself into an institution with his unreal greatness. It all began on a defining day when a teenage Sachin Tendulkar stepped into the longest format and announced his arrival to the world.
In the year 1989, India travelled to Pakistan, and in the first Test, Sachin Tendulkar made his debut against the mighty Men in Green. After Pakistan put on a total of 409 runs, India faced massive blows while chasing down the total. After India lost four quick wickets, a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar walked into the field.
Facing the fire of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Imran Khan, the teenage prodigy stood up to Pakistan’s fiercest pace trio with fearless intent. On his first mark in Indian cricket, he played a knock of 15 runs in 24 balls with two boundaries. In the second innings, he didn’t get a chance to bat as the match ended in a draw.
After he was dismissed on a modest 15 runs, the world doubted his future. The teen who shattered domestic records had an opening chapter he never imagined, but India had already found its next cricketing marvel. On his debut, he stunned the world with his fearless nature, masterful shots, and an unbeatable cricketing brain.
A legacy so rich it sets the benchmark for generations to come
At the age of 11 years, Sachin Tendulkar’s elder brother took him to Ramakant Achrekar’s academy, and that was the moment when his destiny changed. Achrekar polished his game, sharpened his weapons, and Indian cricket got one of the greatest gems of all time.
Long before making his Test debut, Mumbai cricket witnessed the spark early on. In school cricket, club cricket, and domestic cricket, the young Sachin Tendulkar shattered records and rewrote the record book. Once he stepped into the Indian cricket, he turned it into a spectacle.
Representing the nation across the globe, Tendulkar delivered some of the iconic moments that have become history. The world celebrates his 100 centuries, but behind those milestones lay a gritty journey of hard work, where early ducks slowly transformed into masterful hundreds.
In his star-studded career, he played 200 Test matches and scored 15921 runs with 51 hundreds and 68 half-centuries with a highest score of unbeaten 248 runs. Years after his farewell to red-ball cricket, his towering records still stand untouched, a testament to a greatness the game has yet to witness again.
Tendulkar started his career with a 15-run innings, but destiny had better plans for him. With an international career with a span of over two decades, Sachin shaped him as a batter. Climbing on the mountain of success, the Indian legend redefined greatness.
From a Mumbai batter, he became the ‘Master Blaster’. Many players become legends, but Tendulkar went even further. He became the face of the sport and built a legacy that few can ever match.
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