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The is a sports feature on one of crickets all time batmen, Sachin Tendulkar of India. |
India has produced many cricketers in the past but I guess none has performed to the astronomical heights the great Sachin Tendulkar has. The 38 year old batsman played a pivotal role in helping India to a five wickets victory over the West Indies in the first Test in Delhi, and there is more to come from the “Little Master” as India seeks to regain the number one Test cricket nation in the world. In helping India to victory, he achieved a remarkable feat in the history of the sport by becoming the first player to score 15,000 runs Test match cricket – a truly remarkable achievement. He passed one milestone but missed out on another as he could score only 76 before he was trapped lbw by Devendra Bishoo, leaving him to continue his pursuit of a 100th international century. Tendulkar is seeking a record 100th international century having been stuck on 99 tons since March this year. The heroic achievement of Sachin Tendulkar is something that must be celebrated by all sports fans and this has prompted me to write this piece. Cricket may not be as popular as football (soccer) in my part of the world (Ghana) as in the Asian sub-continent, but as a sports fan who loves all sports, I take it upon myself to follow and recognize the achievements of such heroes. Prior to the second Test with the Indies, the Little Master's career Test averages made very interesting reading. In the 182 matches he has featured in, he had scored15, 048 runs with a high score 248 and a batting average of 56.25. He has scored 51 centuries, taking 45 wickets with a bowling average of 53.68. The "Little Master" passed West Indies batsman Brian Lara's mark of 11,953 runs to become the leading Test run-scorer in 2008 and subsequently became the first cricketer in history to reach 12,000, 13,000, 14,000 and now 15,000 Test runs. He is the leading run-scorer in One Day internationals (ODI’s), too, and holds the record for the number of international centuries scored. Attention will now return to his bid to become the first person to score 100 international centuries having scored 51 Test and 48 ODI centuries in 635 matches. Tendulkar reached his 99th international hundred against South Africa at this year's World Cup. This is ample evidence about the credentials of the 38 year old Tendulkar as arguably the best batsman of all times and it is only a matter of time before we see him pass the 100 international centuries. In support of the international game, my heart falls for Australia and many fans of the Aussie would have wished that the Little Master was from down under. Many will also agree with me that Sachin Tendulkar has indeed played his part in taking cricket to new heights and deserves his accord. |