Tendulkar becomes most-capped Test player

Colombo: Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar added another milestone in his illustrious career by becoming the most-capped Test cricketer when he took the field in the third and final match of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.

The 37-year-old champion batsman, who holds almost every batting record that is there in international cricket, overtook retired former Australian captain Steve Waugh when he played in the 169th match of his career.
Tendulkar, who has been around for two decades now, has also played 442 one-day internationals, just a couple of matches less than Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya's record of 444.
Tendulkar has scored 13,742 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 56.08, notching up 48 hundreds and 55 half-centuries in the process.
He has 17,598 runs, including 46 centuries, in his 442 one-dayers. The Mumbaikar also holds the distinction of being the first batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs.
But despite these astonishing feats, Tendulkar remains hungry for more runs and after getting his fifth Test double hundred in the second Test against Sri Lanka, the diminutive batsman urged critics to stop talking about his age.

"As long as you are mentally strong and prepared to go through the grind, age really does not matter," Tendulkar said after the drawn Test here.
"I think everyone should just stop talking about the age factor. If I can score a double hundred at 37, I don't think age really matters."
Most capped Test players so far:
169 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
168 - Steve Waugh (AUS) - retired
156 - Allan Border (AUS) - retired
146 - Ricky Ponting (AUS)
145 - Shane Warne (AUS) - retired
141 - Rahul Dravid (IND)
140 - Jacques Kallis (RSA)
134 - Mark Boucher (RSA)

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman and Murali Vijay were batting in the nets as Tendulkar padded up, checked his bats and waited for his turn. He spent a few moments with skipper MS Dhoni discussing the finer points while watching them bat. Tendulkar first faced throw-downs before switching to face the main Indian bowlers.
There was nothing to suggest that Tendulkar was overtly edgy ahead of Test number 169. On Tuesday, when the third Test starts at the P Sara Oval, Tendulkar will go ahead of former Australian skipper Steve Waugh and become the most capped player. The pressure of expectations, be it as a 16-year-old who made his debut at the National Stadium, Karachi, or a 37-year-old senior statesman, probably remains the same.

Tendulkar recalls his first Test innings, in which he made 15 in 24 balls before being bowled by another debutante Waqar Younis, saying it was a testing time but one during which he learnt the ropes of international cricket. "After I played my first Test match I felt like it would be my first and last Test," Tendulkar told The Indian Express.
"I wasn't sure if I would get a game again or play for India again. That's how I felt back then. It felt like I didn't really belong there and it wasn't easy. Luckily for me I got some runs (59 & 8; Faisalabad) in the next game and then I was more confident and felt better.

"That was a long time ago, looking back now. But those early days were a learning experience. It is wonderful now that I have the opportunity to become the highest- capped player," Tendulkar said after the practice session. He also confirmed that his groin, which was strained and saw him not fielding on the last day of the second Test, was coming along well. "My groin is fine now and I am feeling good."
In a long-list of achievements for the man, who owns almost every possible batting record, this milestone is yet another testimony to his longevity and undying passion. The journey has taken a toll on his body, no doubt, but Tendulkar has always managed to overcome the injuries and his hunger for runs remains insatiable.

Since the start of last year, Tendulkar has scored seven centuries in Tests. At the Sinhalese Sports Club he made 203 -- his first double hundred in six years, an innings which lasted a gruelling 516 minutes. He's also been in imperious form in the shorter formats. He made the first-ever double hundred in one-day internationals in February against South Africa and in November last year, he scored 175 against Australia, two of his top-three ODI scores.
Tendulkar has been rested as a precautionary measure for the tri-series in Dambulla from August 10, but come the third Test and once again the burden of holding together the Indian innings will fall on him. These days most coaches and captains are asked about their plans to stop Virender Sehwag from massacring their bowlers. Such questions regarding Tendulkar are few and far between now. In his 168 Tests, Tendulkar has largely made a mockery of well-set plans.