On This Day: Sachin Tendulkar's first of 100 tons, Don Bradman's farewell duck

Sachin Tendulkar scored 100 hundreds in international cricket. Scoring a hundred is always a special occasion but the first time a player achieves this feat in international cricket, the memory is forever etched in the mind of the person raising the bat. Tendulkar, and his countless fans, will always remember his first international hundred, a gritty knock against England at the Old Trafford, which helped India avoid a defeat.

This happened 30 years to this day on 14 August, 1990. Tendulkar was 17.

The pitch was great for batting and England rode on centuries from Graham Gooch, Michael Atherton, and Robin Smith to pile up 519 runs in first innings. India replied with 432, thanks to Mohammad Azharuddin’s 179. Tendulkar also made a valuable contribution with the bat, making 68.

But his knock in the second innings emerged as the biggest talking point from the Test. Chasing 408 for victory, India were six down for 183 and an England victory looked almost certain. Tendulkar, though, had a different plan. Showing superb composure, the teenager put an exhibition of exquisite drives on the off-side against English pacers.

Sharing a 160-run partnership with Manoj Prabhakar, Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 119 and helped India draw the match. With his first international century, Tendulkar proved that he has the calibre to go beyond the tag of a child prodigy.

Also on 14 August 1948, Don Bradman, probably the greatest batsman ever to play the game of cricket, did an unthinkable that made its way into the cricketing folklore.

Playing against his arch-rivals England, Bradman needed only four runs to reach 7,000 runs and achieve a barely believable Test average of 100.

But Bradman was bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck. It became the most infamous zero in the history of cricket as Bradman didn’t get the opportunity to bat in the next innings and the Test was his last international outing.