Sachin Tendulkar turns 53: A look at his remarkable career of unmatched numbers and milestones

NEW DELHI: India’s legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar turned 53 on Friday. His illustrious career has been defined by record-breaking achievements and unforgettable performances that have left an indelible mark on the world of cricket.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, Jay Shah, extended his heartfelt wishes to Indian sports icon Sachin Tendulkar on his 53rd birthday on Friday.

Wishing our sport’s icon @sachin_rt a very happy birthday.
Your amazing contribution to cricket continues to inspire generations across the world to play and watch our great game while your empathy and humanity has an ongoing and significant impact on society. pic.twitter.com/MNZAOt2wPr

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) April 24, 2026

Sharing a post on X, the ICC Chairman wrote, “Wishing our sport’s icon @sachin_rt a very happy birthday. Your amazing contribution to cricket continues to inspire generations across the world to play and watch our great game, while your empathy and humanity has an ongoing and significant impact on society.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a post on X on Tendulkar’s birthday and wrote, “664 international matches. 34,357 international runs. Only cricketer to score 100 international hundreds. Member of #TeamIndia’s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2011 winning campaign. Wishing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar a very happy birthday.”

6⃣6⃣4⃣ international matches
3⃣4⃣,3⃣5⃣7⃣ international runs
Only cricketer to score 1⃣0⃣0⃣ international hundreds

Member of #TeamIndia‘s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2011 winning campaign

Wishing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar @sachin_rt a very happy birthday pic.twitter.com/LAs8KbEUPd

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 24, 2026

Tendulkar was the most complete batter of his time, the most prolific run-maker of all time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon the game has ever known. Tendulkar holds the record for the most centuries in both Tests and ODIs, a remarkable feat, especially considering he didn’t register his first ODI hundred until his 79th match.

With a staggering 34,357 international runs, Sachin Tendulkar stands as the most prolific batter in cricket history. Throughout his illustrious international career, he rewrote the record books time and again, setting milestones that remain unchallenged to this day.

With his unwavering patience and resilience, the ‘Master Blaster’ has 200 Test appearances to his name, the most by any player in the format. Tendulkar amassed 15,921 runs, 51 centuries, and 2,058 fours, the most by any player in red-ball cricket. Revered as India’s “God of Cricket,” he also became the fastest to 15,000 Test runs, reaching the milestone in just 300 innings, a distinction he holds exclusively.

With a career that spanned over 22 years and 91 days, the 53-year-old has the longest career in ODIs. With a staggering 1,894 runs and nine centuries in 1998, Tendulkar holds the record for the most runs and centuries scored in a single calendar year in the format, a feat that still stands unrivalled.

During his run in the 50-over format, Tendulkar raised his bat to celebrate 145 half-centuries and found the fence for a four on 2,016 occasions, the highest by any player that the world of cricket has ever seen. The undisputed icon, Tendulkar, became the fastest to 18,000 ODI runs, reaching the milestone in just 440 innings. Much like his landmark achievement in Tests, he stands alone in this exclusive club.

Tendulkar holds the highest number of Player of the Match awards (76), the most runs in a career (34,357), the most fifties (264), the most nineties (28), and the most fours (4,076) across all formats. (ANI)