SACHIN TENDULKAR

Sachin Tendulkar was born April 24, 1973, in Bombay, India. Introduced to cricket at age 11, Tendulkar was just 16 when he became India's youngest Test cricketer. In 2005, he became the first cricketer to score 35 centuries (100 runs in a single inning) in Test play. In 2008, he reached another major milestone by surpassing Brian Lara's mark of 11,953 Test runs. Tendulkar took home the World Cup with his team in 2011, and wrapped up his record-breaking career in 2013.

His struggles with the captaincy notwithstanding, Tendulkar remained as brilliant as ever on the field. He delivered perhaps his finest season in 1998, devastating Australia with both his maiden first-class double century and his memorable "desert storm" performance in Sharjah. In 2001, Tendulkar became the first player to score 10,000 runs in One Day International (ODI) competition, and the following year he surpassed the great Don Bradman on the all-time list with his 30th Test century. He was again the leading scorer during World Cup play in 2003, earning Man of the Series honors despite India's loss to Australia in the final.

Tendulkar's dominance of his sport continued even as he moved into his 30s. He delivered an unbeaten 241 against Australia in January 2004, and notched his record-breaking 35th century in Test competition in December 2005. In October 2008, he entered the record books again by blowing past Brian Lara's mark of 11,953 Test runs. On the heels of becoming the first player to post a double century in ODI play, he was named the 2010 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year. 

In April 2011, Tendulkar chalked up another milestone when he and his

team propelled India to a World Cup victory over Sri Lanka, the first in his long career. During the tournament, he again demonstrated he was in a class by himself by becoming the first batsman to score 2,000 runs and six centuries in World Cup play. 

His career nearing the finish line, Tendulkar was sworn in as a Rajya Sabha member at the Parliament House in New Delhi in June 2012. He retired from ODI competition in December, and the following October, the legendary batsman announced he was calling it quits in all formats. Tendulkar played his 200th and final Test match in November 2013, finishing with a jaw-dropping accumulation of statistics that included more than 34,000 runs and 100 centuries in international play.