Sachin Tendulkar’s record number of international centuries is unmatched in cricket’s history and looks assured to remain such for a long time. It was exactly 25 years ago on this day, when India’s batting icon set the stones rolling with his maiden ODI century. Sachin would go on to smash 48 more ODI hundreds in a career spreading across 23 illustrious years but on September 9, 1994, a 21-year-old Sachin hit his first ODI century. August 14 Throwback: This Day in 1990, Sachin Tendulkar Scored His First of Hundred Centuries; Twitterati Share Memories.

Interestingly, it took Sachin 78 ODI matches and over four years of international cricket to score his first ODI century. The Master Blaster made his ODI debut for India in December 1989 but could only muster his maiden ODI hundred in 1994. It will perhaps take more than a superhuman effort to break his record of 100 international centuries – 49 in ODIs and 51 in Tests – and although some, including Indian captain Virat Kohli, seems capable of reaching there someday, Sachin legacy in cricket remains undeterred.

ICC Recalls Sachin's Maiden ODI Century

By the time Sachin hit the century, he had only scored 16 half-centuries. Sachin’s first century came against Australia during the third Singer World Series ODI in Colombo. Sachin made a fantastic 110 from 130 deliveries, which included eight fours and two sixes, against an Aussie attack that had Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.

Watch Sachin Score His First ODI Hundred

But his barren run stopped there as Sachin went on to make a record of 49 centuries and 96 fifties in ODIs, a record still unmatched in cricket. The 46-year-old also had a double century to his name and made a record of 463 ODI appearances for India during which Sachin scored 18426 runs, the most runs scored by a single batsman in ODI history. Sachin’s ODI career ended against Pakistan – the same opposition he made his debut against – in the 2012 Asia Cup.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2019 03:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).