On this day, August 14, 1990: Sachin Tendulkar smashed his first international century. He was only 17 years old when he walked out at Old Trafford during the second Test between India and England. By the time he left the field he had written the first chapter of what would become one of the greatest batting stories in cricket history. India were put under enormous pressure after England posted 519 in their first innings. Graham Gooch, Michael Atherton and Robin Smith all scored centuries, while India needed a huge response to stay in the game.
Mohammad Azharuddin led the way with a brilliant 179 as India reached 432, with Tendulkar scoring a composed 68. England then set India a difficult task after scoring 320 in their second innings. With the match slipping away, India needed someone to stand up and bat for time. Sachin walked in after Dilip Vengsarkar was dismissed and soon found himself batting alongside Azharuddin. Even after his captain departed, Tendulkar refused to give England another opening.
He batted for 225 minutes, showing remarkable patience and maturity for a player who was early in his career. By the end of the innings, Tendulkar was unbeaten on 119 from 189 balls, with 17 fours. India finished on 343/6 and secured a draw. It was Tendulkar's first international hundred, the first of the 100 centuries he would eventually score for India.
At 17 years and 112 days, he became the third-youngest batter to score a Test century at the time. Tendulkar would go on to score 51 Test centuries and 49 ODI centuries, finish with 100 international hundreds and become the first player to reach 200 Test appearances.
