Farewell Tendulkar!

Sachin Tendulkar, perhaps the greatest cricketer since Don Bradman, enthralled his fans with a majestic 74 in his farewell knock. Millions of Tendulkar’s fans waited for a last magical knock from his blade as the 40-year-old legend entered the ground to resume his innings at an overnight 38. He appeared to be in a positive frame of mind as he played an array of breathtaking shots much to the delight of a packed Wankhede stadium.
But the dream three-figure mark eluded the champion batsman in his farewell match. Silence descended at the Wankhede when Tendulkar was dismissed when he thick-edged a Deonarine delivery to Darren Sammy at first slip. The crowd quickly recomposed itself to give Tendulkar a standing ovation as he trudged off the ground one last time.
Tendulkar’s tally of 100 centuries is just one of many records he has amassed since making his debut for the national side on Nov. 15, 1989.
Tendulkar holds dozens of batting records, including most runs and centuries in both Tests and one-day internationals.
He has amassed nearly 16,000 runs in his Test career — a total that comprises just part of his 34,000-plus runs across all forms of the game at international level.
Tendulkar’s 15,847 Test runs dwarf the 13,378 scored by second-placed and now retired former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, and are 2,707 more than Jacques Kallis, the highest placed active player. Tendulkar has been even more dominant in one-day cricket, his tally of 18,426 runs being 4,722 more than number two Ponting. Of active batsmen, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara leads with 11,948.
Ponting’s 30 one-day centuries pale against Tendulkar’s 49 — although South Africa’s Kallis is only seven hundreds away from matching the Indian’s Test tally of 51 tons.
By further comparison, Australia’s Donald Bradman, usually acknowledged as cricket’s best batsman, retired aged 39 in 1948 with 6,996 Test runs, including 29 centuries, in 52 matches. And despite Bradman’s staggering Test average of 99.94, West Indian great Brian Lara said Tendulkar was not only the best of all time, but that his records could be unmatchable. — Rafaqat Khan, Jeddah