India's
most famous sportsman will retire from cricket after playing his 200th Test
match, he announced this on Thursday.
"It's
been a huge honor to have represented my country and played all over the world.
I look forward to playing my 200th Test Match on home soil, as I call it a
day," the 40-year-old said in a statement.
This
will bring down the curtain for Sachin Tendulkar( the Indian lord of cricket) on
a glittering career which has seen him score a record 100 centuries in Tests
and one day internationals since making his debut for his country (india) in 1989.
Tendulkar,
who has played in a record 198 Test matches, can reach the 200 mark in a
two-match series against the West Indies next month.
"All
my life, I have had a dream of playing cricket for India says Sachin Tendulkar,
I have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years.
"It's
hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it's all I have
ever done since I was 11 years old," he added.
The
President of the Indian Cricket Board of Control, N Srinivasan, paid tribute to
Tendulkar's record breaking feats.
"He
is without doubt the greatest cricketer India has produced," he said.
"He
has been an inspiration for generations of sportsmen not just cricketers. We
respect his decision to retire although many of us can't imagine an Indian team
without Sachin."
Tendulkar,
a right handed batsman, will go down in history for his incredible run scoring
feats, including a record 15,837 runs to date in Test matches, over 2,000 more
than his closest rival, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
In
one-day internationals, Tendulkar amassed 18,426 runs, nearly 5,000 runs clear
of Ponting's second best tally.
Tendulkar
retired from one day internationals in December 2012 and an earlier
announcement that this season would be his last in the lucrative Indian Premier
League (IPL), a Twenty20 competition, paved the way for his decision Thursday
to retire from all forms of the game.
Tendulkar fittingly helped the Mumbai Indians
franchise win this year's IPL title and also played a key role as India won
cricket's World Cup on home soil in 2011.
He
captained his country 98 times in Tests and one day internationals and aside
from his batting feats also claimed 45 Test wickets and 154 victims in one day
internationals as a bowler.
Tributes
to him quickly flowed on social media, with England batsman Kevin Pietersen
tweeting: Sachin #10dulkar - Undisputed Champion of Cricket SachinTheGreat.
Former
Australian star Dean Jones made the following prediction: What odds for Sachin
to score a Test ton in his last Test goodchance.
If
Tendulkar achieved that feat it would be his 52nd in Tests and all of India
will be hoping he can reach the magic three figures just one final time in his
farewell matches.
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