New Delhi: It has been 30 years since a 16-year-old Indian batsman made his debut in what was then one of the toughest places in the world to play Test cricket and scored 15 runs in the first innings, which was the only time he got to bat.
Sachin Tendulkar has since broken almost every batting record that matters and the story of his illustrous career gains some more sheen when his debut is taken into context.
The Pakistan team that the teenager faced at the time boasted the likes of Imran Khan and Wasim Akram while Waqar Younis himself made his debut in the first Test on November 15, 1989. Incidentally, it was Waqar who dismissed Tendulkar in Karachi during the first innings of the first Test.
But Tendulkar gave a glimpse of his abilities in the rest of the series. He scored 59 in the first innings of the second Test and 57 in the second innings of the fourth Test as the series ended in a draw. A few months later, on August 14, 1990, Tendulkar would score his first Test hundred during India's tour of England.
Meanwhile, International Cricket Council (ICC) took to Twitter to share a collage of Tendulkar and Waqar’s photos from that Test match in Karachi with the caption, "OnThisDay in 1989, Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis made their international debuts as teenagers. The rest, as they say, is history."
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#OnThisDay in 1989, Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis made their international debuts as teenagers.
— ICC (@ICC) November 15, 2019 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
The rest, as they say, is history 🙌 pic.twitter.com/o419M8n0cA
">#OnThisDay in 1989, Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis made their international debuts as teenagers.
— ICC (@ICC) November 15, 2019
The rest, as they say, is history 🙌 pic.twitter.com/o419M8n0cA#OnThisDay in 1989, Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis made their international debuts as teenagers.
— ICC (@ICC) November 15, 2019
The rest, as they say, is history 🙌 pic.twitter.com/o419M8n0cA
Younis called time on his international career in 2003 and he finished with 373 wickets in Tests and 416 scalps in ODIs. He is currently the bowling coach of Pakistan cricket team.
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.
Earlier this 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. 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.
The Master Blaster has been serving as a mentor to the Mumbai Indians that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
