Sachin Tendulkar retiring
Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar retiring from Test cricket after making his 200th appearance later this year.
The Little Master, now 40, has played in a record 198 Test matches to date and is set to end his career by featuring in the two-Test series against the West Indies in India in November.
I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day.
Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar has made a record 15,837 runs in Test cricket, at an average of 53.86, making 51 centuries and 67 half-centuries, with his highest score of 248 not out coming against Bangladesh in Dhaka in December 2004.
He made his Test debut aged 16 against Pakistan in 1989 and has gone on to play 198 times in the five-day game for his country, per ESPNCricinfo.
With India set to play the West Indies in a two-Test series next month, Tendulkar has decided to call time on one of international cricket’s greatest careers.
In a BCCI statement released on Thursday, Tendulkar said:
All my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India. I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years. It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it’s all I have ever done since I was 11 years old. It’s been a huge honour to have represented my country and played all over the world. I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a day.
I thank the BCCI for everything over the years and for permitting me to move on when my heart feels it’s time! I thank my family for their patience and understanding. Most of all, I thank my fans and well-wishers who through their prayers and wishes have given me the strength to go out and perform at my best.
Described by Allan Donald as “the best I have bowled to,” Tendulkar has been the iconic figure of Indian cricket for over 20 years.
With a Test match batting average of 53.86 and the milestone figure of 100 international centuries to his name, his performances will likely go unmatched for quite some time.
The right-hander has a further 49 hundreds to his name in one-day internationals, making him the only man in history to make 100 tons in international cricket – a mark he reached in March 2012 against Bangladesh.
Tendulkar also helped his country to 2011 World Cup glory on home soil, finishing the tournament as the leading run-scorer for India.
India can be backed at 9/2 to win the 2015 World Cup, with England 6/1 and Australia 7/2.
View all Cricket betting
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.