On this day: Sachin made his international debut against Pak in Karachi

NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar made his debut on November 15, 1989, at the age of 16 made his international debut against Pakistan in Karachi and went on a remarkable journey of 24 years which saw him standing at the summit. On this day, Sachin walked out on the field against a fierce Pakistan bowling line-up which included the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. He was completely bamboozled by Younis's pace and walked back to the pavilion after scoring 15 runs.

That knock by a young cricketer marked the beginning of a journey that took him to adventures that lasted for 24 years as he announced his retirement in 2013 during India's series against West Indies, which is also known as Sachin's farewell series.

Sachin often termed as "The God of Cricket" is considered as the greatest batter to have played the game. With 34,357 runs in 664 international appearances at an average of 48.52, Sachin is the highest run-scorer in international cricket. He has scored 100 centuries and 164 half-centuries, most in international cricket.

He is the only player to have a century of centuries. With 18,426 runs in ODIs and 15,921 runs in Tests, Sachin also has the highest runs in both formats. He is the first player to hit an ODI double hundred and to have played 200 Test matches. He also has 201 international wickets to his name, making him a very useful part-time spin bowling option. With a total of 664 international appearances, he is the most-capped player of all time. He is part of the Indian Team which won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.

Sachin has played six IPL seasons from 2008-2013, all for Mumbai Indians, where he has scored a total of 2334 runs in 78 matches at an average of 34.84. Sachin has 13 fifties and one hundred under his belt, hitting 29 sixes and 295 fours with a strike rate of 119.82. He won the 2013 edition of the tournament with the franchise as a player. Sachin's best performance came in IPL 2010.

He scored 618 runs in 15 matches at an average of 47.53 at a strike rate of 132.61. He scored five fifties that season and his best individual score was 89*. He won the 'Orange Cap' that season. MI finished as runners-up that season.