Happy Birthday Sachin: The stadium used to reverberate with chants of 'Sachin... Sachin...'; these major records of his remain intact to this day.

Former opening batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who infused new energy into Indian cricket, is celebrating his 53rd birthday today. It has been a long time since Sachin retired from international cricket, yet whenever a glimpse of him is caught, the entire stadium still reverberates with the chants of “Sachin… Sachin…” Revered as the ‘God of Cricket,’ Sachin boasts millions of fans across the globe—including in India—who are currently sending their birthday wishes to their beloved cricketer. Although Sachin no longer plays competitive cricket, he holds numerous records that remain unbroken to this day.

The Only Player to Score a ‘Century of Centuries’

Throughout his career, across all formats, Sachin smashed a total of 100 centuries. He remains the only player in the world to have achieved the remarkable feat of scoring a “century of centuries.” Trailing him is India’s Virat Kohli, who has scored 85 centuries so far; however, a gap of 15 centuries still separates Sachin and Kohli. Occupying the third spot is former Australian batsman Ricky Ponting—a contemporary of Sachin—who scored 71 centuries.

Highest Run-Scorer in Test Cricket

Having played 200 Test matches for India, Sachin amassed 15,921 runs in this longest format of the game—a record that stands unparalleled. At the international level, no other batsman in the world has even managed to touch the 14,000-run mark in Test cricket, whereas Sachin had surpassed the 15,000-run milestone several years ago. Sachin scored 51 centuries in Tests, and currently, no other player holds the distinction of having scored so many centuries in the format. Having made his debut for India at the age of 16, Sachin played 200 Test matches over the course of his career—an achievement that is extraordinary in its own right. The only player who comes close to him in this regard is England’s veteran fast bowler, James Anderson, who has played 188 Test matches.

Leading the Pack in ODIs as Well

Sachin stands ahead of all other batsmen not only in Test cricket but also in terms of run-scoring in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Known affectionately as the ‘Master Blaster,’ Sachin scored a staggering 18,426 runs during his ODI career. Sachin played a total of 463 ODIs in his career, with his final match in this format taking place against Pakistan in Mirpur on March 18, 2012. Interestingly, Sachin had also commenced his ODI career against Pakistan on December 18, 1989. He was the first batsman to score a double century in this format.

Participated in Six ODI World Cups

Sachin Tendulkar participated in a total of six ODI World Cups during his career. He holds the distinction of being the player with the most appearances in this global tournament. Apart from Sachin, Pakistan’s Javed Miandad is the only other player to have played in the World Cup an equal number of times in his career. Sachin was a member of the Indian squads for the 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011 ODI World Cups. He finally lifted the trophy during the final World Cup of his career. For Sachin, winning the World Cup remains his greatest achievement; a particularly special moment was when the ‘Master Blaster’ held the coveted trophy in his hands right at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium.

India won the ODI World Cup trophy in 2011 by defeating Sri Lanka. That moment remains etched in the hearts of cricket fans to this day—when members of the victorious Indian team hoisted Sachin onto their shoulders and carried him around the stadium for a victory lap. Sachin bid farewell to international cricket on November 16, 2013; however, the records he established stand as a testament to the fact that, for any batsman in the world today, surpassing the ‘Master Blaster’ remains an incredibly arduous task—akin to chewing iron nuts.