It was a century that the entire nation was eagerly awaiting for.
India's greatest batsman ever Sachin Tendulkar ensured his fans had a Super Sunday as he completed a historic 50th Test century against South Africa on day four of the first Test at the Centurion on Sunday.
The moment Sachin found a gap through the extra cover region to push a Dale Steyn delivery for a single, the entire stadium stood up to salute one of the true legends of the game.
It is Sachin's 175th Test match --- most by any player in the history of the game. It took him four Test matches to reach the milestone after having scored his 49th against Australia in October this year.
He played 197 deliveries and 258 minutes to reach the milestone. He hit 12 boundaries and a big six over long-off with left-arm spinner Paul Harris being the sufferer. This is his seventh century in the year 2010.
With his innings, Tendulkar has extended his record for most hundreds (28) overseas.
With 14,506 runs at an average of 56.88 in 175 Tests (most appearances in the longer format of the game), Tendulkar also holds the record for most runs in Test cricket. In ODIs, he aggregates 17,598 in 442 matches at an average of 45.12.
Here's a look at Sachin Tendulkar's 50 centuries in Test cricket:
Date |
Against |
Venue |
Runs |
9/08/1990 |
England |
Old Trafford, Manchester |
119* |
2/01/1992 |
Australia |
SCG, Sydney |
148* |
1/02/1992 |
Australia |
WACA, Perth |
114 |
26/11/1992 |
South Africa |
Wanderers, Johannesburg |
111 |
11/02/1993 |
England |
MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai |
165 |
27/07/1993 |
Sri Lanka |
Colombo (SSC) |
104* |
18/01/1994 |
Sri Lanka |
KD Singh Stadium, Lucknow |
142 |
1/12/1994 |
West Indies |
VCA stadium, Nagpur |
179 |
6/06/1996 |
England |
Edgbaston, Birmingham |
122 |
4/07/1996 |
England |
Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
177 |
2/01/1997 |
South Africa |
Newlands, Cape Town |
169 |
2/08/1997 |
Sri Lanka |
Colombo (RPS) |
143 |
9/08/1997 |
Sri Lanka |
Colombo (SSC) |
139 |
3/12/1997 |
Sri Lanka |
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
148 |
6/03/1998 |
Australia |
MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai |
155* |
25/03/1998 |
Australia |
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
177 |
26/12/1998 |
New Zealand |
Basin Reserve, Wellington |
113 |
28/01/1999 |
Pakistan |
MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai |
136 |
24/02/1999 |
Sri Lanka |
Colombo (SSC) |
124* |
10/10/1999 |
New Zealand |
PCA stadium, Mohali |
126* |
29/10/1999 |
New Zealand |
Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad |
217 |
26/12/1999 |
Australia |
MCG, Melbourne |
116 |
18/11/2000 |
Zimbabwe |
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
122 |
25/11/2000 |
Zimbabwe |
VCA stadium, Nagpur |
201* |
18/03/2001 |
Australia |
MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai |
126 |
3/11/2001 |
South Africa |
OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein |
155 |
11/12/2001 |
England |
Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad |
103 |
21/02/2002 |
Zimbabwe |
VCA stadium, Nagpur |
176 |
19/04/2002 |
West Indies |
Queen's Park stadium, Port of Spain |
117 |
22/08/2002 |
England |
Headingley, Leeds |
193 |
30/10/2002 |
West Indies |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
176 |
2/01/2004 |
Australia |
SCG, Sydney |
241* |
28/03/2004 |
Pakistan |
Multan Cricket Stadium |
194* |
10/12/2004 |
Bangladesh |
Bangabandhu Stadium, Dhaka |
248* |
10/12/2005 |
Sri Lanka |
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
109 |
18/05/2007 |
Bangladesh |
Zohur Ahmed Stadium, Chittagong |
101 |
25/05/2007 |
Bangladesh |
Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka |
122* |
2/01/2008 |
Australia |
SCG, Sydney |
154* |
24/01/2008 |
Australia |
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide |
153 |
5/11/2008 |
Australia |
VCA stadium, Nagpur |
109 |
11/12/2008 |
England |
MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai |
103* |
18/03/2009 |
New Zealand |
Seddon Park, Hamilton |
160 |
16/11/2009 |
Sri Lanka |
Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad |
100* |
17/01/2010 |
Bangladesh |
Zohur Ahmed Stadium, Chittagong |
105* |
24/01/2010 |
Bangladesh |
Shere Bangla Stadium, Dhaka |
143 |
6/02/2010 |
South Africa |
VCA stadium, Nagpur |
100 |
14/02/2010 |
South Africa |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
106 |
26/07/2010 |
Sri Lanka |
Colombo (SSC) |
203 |
9/10/2010 |
Australia |
Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
214 |
19/12/2010 |
South Africa |
SuperSport Park, Centurion |