Ahmedabad, Nov 15: Sachin Tendulkar, on Thursday (November 15) in Ahmedabad completed 23 years in international cricket when he won his 191st Test cap against England here at Sardar Patel Stadium.
Tendulkar made his Test debut against Pakistan on November 15, 1989 in Karachi. And today is the 22nd anniversary of this great batsman in international cricket.
The Master Blaster is expected to walk out to bat today as India have opted to bat first after winning the toss. As always he is sure to be welcomed with huge reception.
Since that day in Pakistan, as a teenager, Tendulkar has smashed every possible record in the game. He is arguably the greatest batsman in the history of the game. The 39-year-old from Mumbai holds the records for most runs in Tests and One Day Internationals.
In recent times, Tendulkar has been under pressure. But he silenced his critics with a fine century for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy against Railways.
Though this year has not been special for him by his own standards, he did set a record of 100 international centuries during the Asia Cup in March.
In terms of longevity, Tendulkar stands alone among the rest today. No cricketer has managed to stay on top for 23 years. Since his first game in 1989, Tendulkar has always been under pressure from his fans. Whenever he walks out to bat, expectations soar.
And when he bats here, he will be expected to score big. This time around, the focus and scrutiny will be more with him facing shortage of runs in Tests. His last century in a five-day game came in January 2011 against South Africa.
Tendulkar will know that today is a special day in his cricket career. He will be hoping to make it extra special.
In 190 Tests, Tendulkar has scored 15,533 runs with 51 centuries.
ThatsCricket