On this day: Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut
Tributes came the way of Sachin Tendulkar on the 31st anniversary of his international debut.
November 15, 1989 was the date when India's greatest cricketer – Sachin Tendulkar – walked out to play his first international match. The Indian team was playing a Test match in Karachi while the hosts, Pakistan was laced with some of the finest bowlers of that time.
The opponents were surprised to see a teenager walking out with his willow and a bit of nervousness on his face. But hardly they knew that this boy would be known as the God of Cricket on day.
One of Pakistan's greatest quicks, Waqar Younis had also made his debut in that match. The game ended in a draw while Tendulkar was dismissed by Waqar in the first innings on a score of just 15.
Marking 31 years of Sachin's international debut, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took their Twitter handle to thank the cricket legend for inspiring an entire generation with his excellent game.
BCCI's tweet:
Over the years, Tendulkar has forged his name in history as the 'greatest batsman of all time' and he also got nicknamed as the 'Master Blaster'. Tendulkar, bid adieu to international cricket in 2013 and to date, he remains the highest run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs. He also has the record for registering most international centuries.
He aggregated 34,357 runs across formats, which is more than 6,000 runs ahead of the second-placed former Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara.
Last year, Tendulkar became the sixth Indian to get inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. The 46-year-old made his debut for India at the age of 16 and immediately became country's favourite cricketer
The Master Blaster has also served as a mentor to the Mumbai Indians that competes in the Indian Premier League.