The longevity of Sachin Tendulkar: How the Master Blaster ruled the game for over 22 years

From 1989 to 2013, legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar ruled cricket for 24 years and broke almost all batting records in the game.

While the Master Blaster has several records to his name, the cornerstone for all of them is his longevity, which allowed him to collect accolades like it’s child’s play throughout his glittering career.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar made his debut for India on November 15, 1989 against Pakistan in Test cricket. He scored 15 runs in India’s first innings and was cleaned up by the “Toe Crusher” Waqar Younis, and did not get the chance to bat in the second innings as match ended in a stalemate.

Fast forward 24 years and in November of 2013, Tendulkar made his final appearance for India and scored his 68th Test half-century, hitting 74 runs off 118 balls at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. His knock was a significant one as India beat the West Indies by an innings and 126 runs to give a fitting farewell to one of the best batters to step foot on a cricket pitch.

The list of accolades collected by Tendulkar is a long one, having scored 34,357 runs across formats, hitting 15,921 runs in Tests, 18,426 runs in one-day internationals and 10 runs in the solitary T20I match that he played. He also remains the only player to hit 100 centuries across all formats of the game, a feat that might never be replicated. He has also scored an incredible 164 half-centuries, hitting 96 fifties in ODIs and 68 in Test cricket.

But the foundation of all these records rests on his incredible longevity, despite suffering several injuries throughout his 24-year career. From his back injury in 1999 to his famous tennis elbow injury in 2009, Tendulkar battled pain all through his career.

But despite the multiple injuries he had to go through, Tendulkar holds the record for the longest career in ODI cricket, spanning 22 years in 91 days. While also being the longest serving India player in Test cricket, playing for 24 years and one day, sitting behind Wilfred Rhodes (58 Tests), Dennis Brian Close (22 Test and 3 ODIs), Frank Edward Woolley (64 Tests), and George Alphonso Headley (22 Tests), with none of them playing even close to the number of matches that Tendulkar did.

Speaking to Ravi Shastri ahead of his 50th birthday at the Wankhede Stadium, Tendulkar said this has been the slowest but the most fulfilling half-century of his career.

“This has been the slowest fifty of my life but the most fulfilling one and interesting one. It’s a package of highs and lows. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed scoring this fifty, it has taught me a lot. Above all, it has given me the honor of representing India for 24 years,” said Tendulkar.

Today the Little Master celebrates his 50th birthday, as the entire nation lovingly remembers a once in a generation player that united India with his brilliant stroke-play and a humble personality off the field.