On This Day In 2010 Cricket: Little Master Sachin Tendulkar’s illustrious career for India was glittered with incredible feats across Tests and One-Day Internationals. Tendulkar achieved one such record on December 19, 2010, playing the first Test of India’s tour of South Africa in Centurion. The formidable run-getter became the first and only man on the planet to register 50 Test match hundreds.
Despite being on the other side of his thirties, Tendulkar appeared just as dominant and skilful at the crease against a quality South African attack, featuring the menacing Dale Steyn at his very best.
Even as his teammates struggled to tackle Steyn’s lethal outswingers at over 145 kmph, Tendulkar batted in his true elements and showed an impregnable
defensive technique while also hitting him to both sides of the wicket.
As India stared down the barrel in the Test match after collapsing for 136 on Day 1 and then conceding a mammoth 620/4 declared, Tendulkar came out fighting in the third innings and produced 13 fours and 1 six in one of his finest Test match hundreds. He comfortably negotiated the bounce generated by tall seamers Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe and played Steyn with the control and command that only he could’ve.
Tendulkar enjoyed the foundation laid by the resurgent trio of Gautam Gambhir (80), Virender Sehwag (63), and No.3 Rahul Dravid (43), who helped the ball get older and lose its sting just that bit.
What started as a green seamer on the opening day, when only Tendulkar (36) looked set for any length of time among the Indian batters, became a dry surface by Day 4, where the ball had begun to keep low. Tendulkar once again overcame the challenge and spent 327 minutes at the crease.
His partnership with skipper MS Dhoni, who came up with a counterattacking innings of 90 runs off 106 balls, raised hopes of a draw in the Indian camp. However, Dhoni’s departure near the close of play gave South Africa an opening at one end. India finished 459 all out on the morning of Day 5, 25 runs shy of making South Africa bat again, with Tendulkar ending unbeaten on 111.
The champion batter followed it up with another sensational century in the third and final Test in Cape Town and finished as India’s highest run-getter for the series at the age of 36.
Tendulkar went on to also become India’s leading run-getter at the 2011 World Cup and achieved his dream silverware that season.
