Sachin Tendulkar finally reached the milestone of his first ODI century on September 9, 1994. He achieved a brilliant 110 off 130 balls against Australia in the third match of the Singer World Series in Colombo.
Sachin’s Maiden Ton Came After 76 Innings
It took him 76 innings to reach this landmark, after a tough start in the format where he scored ducks in his first two innings before getting his first runs against New Zealand in March 1990. Despite early struggles, with 1,758 runs from 66 innings at an average of 30.84 and a strike rate of 74.36, including 13 half-centuries, Tendulkar’s fortunes in ODIs changed dramatically when he was promoted to open the innings for the first time on March 27, 1994, against New Zealand.
Sachin Tendulkar’s Explosive Batting
In his debut as an opener, Tendulkar set the stage alight with a dazzling 82 off just 49 balls, featuring 15 fours and two sixes. From that point, he began a remarkable run at the top of the order, recording scores of 82, 63, 40, 63, and 73 in his first five innings. In his tenth innings as an opener, Tendulkar finally crossed the elusive hundred mark, notching up a superb century against Australia, a team he would go on to dominate throughout his career. After India captain Mohammad Azharuddin elected to bat first, Tendulkar attacked from the outset, reaching his half-century in just 43 balls. He went on to smash eight boundaries and two sixes, marking the first of his eventual 49 ODI centuries and signaling his dominance in the limited-overs format. India won the match by 31 runs, and Tendulkar was named Player of the Match.
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Tendulkar’s Golden Career
Over the course of his career, Tendulkar scored 15,310 runs as an opener at an impressive average of 48.29, including 45 centuries and 75 half-centuries, with a strike rate of 88.04. By the time he retired, Tendulkar was the highest run-scorer in ODI history, amassing 18,426 runs in 452 innings, with an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 86.23.
His monumental record of 49 ODI centuries stood until it was surpassed by Virat Kohli during the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
