Sachin Tendulkar became the first individual in the history of international cricket to go past 30,000 runs in international cricket during the Test match against Sri Lanka in 2009.
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Sachin Tendulkar is considered the gold standard of batting for a simple reason. He pushed the barriers of excellence in such a way that it would be difficult for future players to emulate that. Tendulkar’s standards in the art of batting are so profound that everyone aspires to be like him. The Mumbai right-hander excelled in all conditions. Bigger the opponent, the greater his impact and big scores. Just ask Australia and South Africa, two of the biggest teams towards the end of the 20th and starting of the 21st century.
Tendulkar always put in 100 percent each time he stepped out on the field. During the period of 2007 to 2009, Indian cricket was staging a recovery after the disaster of the 2007 ICC World Cup. They had been knocked out in the first round after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. But, in the aftermath of that loss, the tide turned. India, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, won the ICC World T20 in 2007.
Tendulkar, on the other hand, went past 12000 runs during the Mohali Test against Australia. The Indian cricket team was staging an epic recovery and in 2009, they were one step closer to finishing the year as the world’s number one-ranked team in Tests.
In the first Test in Ahmedabad, India clashed with Sri Lanka and was reduced to 32/4. Tendulkar fell for 4 but they were rescued by the brilliance of Rahul Dravid who chipped in with 177. Dravid was ably assisted by MS Dhoni who blasted 110 as the 224-run partnership helped India end on 426. However, on a flat pitch, Sri Lanka took full control of the match as they made the Indian bowlers toil.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Prasanna Jayawardene hit centuries but it was Mahela Jayawardene who stole the show. Mahela hit 275 as India’s bowlers toiled for 202 overs. Sri Lanka ended on 760/7 declared to give themselves a 234-run lead. But, with the pitch not assisting the bowlers, the match was destined to be a draw.
Gautam Gambhir hit a century but all eyes were on Tendulkar. On the final day, during the 44th over of the innings, Tendulkar clipped a single to deep square leg to reach 35. But, with that single, Tendulkar created history. He became the first individual in the history of the game to reach 30,000 runs in international cricket. He had already scored 17,178 runs in that period in ODIs. With 10 runs in his one Twenty20 International, Tendulkar then reached 12,777 runs to go past 30,000 runs. Things became better for him as he hit his 43rd Test century and 88th international cricket.
Tendulkar scaled his personal best in the first Test in Ahmedabad. But, in the next couple of Tests, India put in a fabulous performance to become the No.1 ranked Test team in the world for the first time. India won in Kanpur and completed a brilliant thrashing in Mumbai. Virender Sehwag was unlucky to miss out on a third triple century as he fell for 293.
From the horrors of 2007, India’s cricket journey had scaled the summit in a big way. Tendulkar’s dream was achieved in 2011 when India won the ICC World Cup in front of their home fans after a gap of 28 years. At the Wankhede stadium, Tendulkar was carried on the shoulders of his teammates as he soaked at the moment.
After the glory of the World Cup, Tendulkar had to endure a 369-day period of pain in which he did not hit a single century in any format. The misery for Indian fans was compounded by the fact that he had hit 99 international tons. In 2012, he finally broke the jinx as he hit a century against Bangladesh to become the first individual to score 100 international tons.
Tendulkar ended with 15921 Test runs, 18426 ODI runs, and 10 Twenty20 International runs. The legend ended with 34,357 runs in international cricket. This achievement was just the tip of the iceberg in the brilliance of Tendulkar and his cricket.
