On This Day: Sachin Tendulkar scores maiden international century at age 17

Sachin Tendulkar etched his named in cricketing folklore by registering the first of his 100 international centuries on this day 35 years ago in the second of the three-match Test series against England in Manchester. The match was eventually drawn, and the then 17-year-old youngster was awarded the Player of the Match award for his absolutely terrific performance with the bat.

This sublime 119* off 189 deliveries came during the run-chase of 408 at the Old Trafford. Sachin's blissful innings comprised 17 fours. He was coming into this knock on the back of a 68 off 136 in the first innings. But in the second innings, Sachin had brilliantly navigated the situation while coming in to bat at 109/4. A huge responsibility was made bigger after skipper Mohammad Azharuddin fell with the team score on 127.

The budding talent displayed resilience and maturity well beyond his years while facing a menacing English attack led by Devon Malcolm and Angus Fraser. He played every ball on its merit, his innings being a perfect blend of caution and flair. Sachin's stroke play was a treat to watch. He put on a 160-run stand along with Manoj Prabhakar (67 off 128) to save the match for India.

Sachin reached his ton with a crisp drive through the covers. The context and composure of his innings was what that stood out more than the runs on the board. The Old Trafford crowd put up a standing ovation for Sachin once the match concluded. This was only the starting of a stellar international career, which would mark the shattering of several records along the way.

At the end of his international, Sachin stands as the first and the only human being on the planet to have a century of centuries to his name. Naturally, he is also the highest run-getter in international cricket currently, with 34,357 runs from 664 matches.