Cricket: Sachin's World Record

Sachin's record of playing the most number of One Day Internationals

Today's India v. South Africa (d/n) match played in Bangalore is Sachin's 356th One Day International. He matches Wasim Akram's record of playing the most number of One Day Internationals.

It's Sachin for me never Tendulkar.

It's been a long journey for Sachin from a 16-year-old schoolboy, who some felt was pushed in the cauldron of Pakistan's bowling furnace, in Gujranwala in 1989 to missing his first international century (v. NZ, caught by John Wright in 1990 - Wright was India's coach from 2000 till mid-2005), steering India to a World cup win versus Pakistan in 1992, his bowling exploits in the Hero Cup in 1993 (clean bowling Lara with an off-cutter), to those electrifying knocks in 1996 world cup, the clean image during the match-fixing scandal of 1997, the 'Operation Desert Storm' knocks of '98 versus the Australians in Sharjah, the World cup century after his father's bereavement in 1999, the fortitude shown when removed from captaincy and the support to Dada Ganguly when he took over the captainship in 2000, the flat six of Shoaib Akhtar in 2003 World cup (maan, who can forget that!), and the revival of old magic by playing like 'Sachin' during the Oct-Nov. 2005 Ind-SL series.

If India needs a hero it still, yes it still, is Sachin. :-)
All the best, Sachin. Many congratulations and hope you play 250 more ODIs.

Here's an innings-by-innings list of Sachin's 355 ODIs till Nov. 16, 2005. Today's match (Nov. 19) is his 356th ODI.