Tendulkar on 98......And there it is. Test match hundred for Tendulkar! Aged 17 years and 112 days, one of the youngest ever to hit a Test match hundred. An innings of temperament, skill and delightful straight drives.

Who better than Richie Benaud to put the historic cricketing moment into words.

Today, i.e. 14th August 2020 marks 30 years since Sachin Tendulkar scored his first-ever century in international cricket. An illustrious career which included a total of 100 centuries across formats spread over more than two decades.

The first of his 💯 international centuries 🤯#OnThisDay, 30 years ago, a 17-year-old @sachin_rt registered his maiden Test ton against 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 at Old Trafford 😯👏🏻#OneFamily @BCCI pic.twitter.com/9flAU6pSq1

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) August 14, 2020

The Mumbai Indians mentor reminisced about the unforgettable knock and described the events that transpired at Old Trafford on that day. He even felt special that the ton helped India save the Test match as quoted by TOI.

The art of saving a Test match was a new experience

Sachin vividly remembered the details of the day he scored his first ton and stated why it was so special for him.

“I scored that 100 on August 14 and the next day was our Independence Day, so it was special. That hundred at least kept the series alive till the next Test at the Oval. The art of saving a Test match was a new experience for me.”

You don't show your pain to the bowler

On a green top wicket at Sialkot which was his first-ever Test series back in 1989, a fierce bouncer from Waqar Younis struck his nose. Despite the early blow, Tendulkar went on to score a fifty and displayed his determination and class in front of the entire cricketing world. He recalled the incident and those hits that made him stronger.

“In Sialkot where I got hit and scored 57, we saved that Test match, too, from 38 for 4. Waqar’s bouncer and playing through pain defined me. After those kinds of hits, you are either stronger or you are nowhere to be seen.”

In the first innings against England too, Sachin was struck by Devon Malcolm at the back of the head. The Master admitted that while he was in pain, he didn't want to show it to the bowler and hence didn't call the physio.

“Devon and Waqar, during that phase, were easily the two quickest bowlers in the world bowling at 90 mph. Yes, I didn’t call the physio as I didn’t want to show them that I am in pain. My pain threshold was fairly high. It’s okay to get hit. So what. You don’t show your pain to the bowler,”

I would just throw the ball up and take it on my body to absorb the pain

The credit behind Tendulkar's high pain threshold goes to none other than his coach Sir Ramakant Achrekar. Sachin asserted that he had dealt with a lot of pain while practising on the same pitch continuously at Shivaji Park during his early days.

“I was used to getting hit on my body from my days in Shivaji Park as Achrekar sir would make us play on that and it would have enormous wear and tear. The same pitch we played a match on one day and the next day we were back for nets. So balls would just jump off the length and hit my nose. I would just throw the ball up and take it on my body to absorb the pain."

It was a case of showing patience

The Indian team had slumped to 109/4 while chasing a mammoth 408 for victory in the second Test at Manchester. That's when Sachin walked to the crease. The visitors continued to lose wickets and were further reduced to 183/6 before a partnership between him and Manoj Prabhakar saved the day for the Indians. It not only helped India save the Test match but also announced the arrival of a special batting prodigy in years to follow.

“Lewis bowled sharp inswing and throughout my career, backfoot cover drive had been my favourite shot. The bowler who was the best by far in that series was Angus Fraser. He had a beautiful late outswing, high arm action, so the ball would bounce and move so late that you had to play at it. It was a case of showing patience and credit to Manoj that we had a 160-run stand.”

With six wickets down, both batsmen had a daunting task to achieve. While Sachin agreed that it wasn't easy, not even one moment did they stop believing that they couldn't save the Test match despite England being aggressive on the field.

“We came together when we were six down (183/6) but Manoj and I together said ‘yeh hum kar sakte hain, match bacha lenge’ (we can save the match). Also, England had an attacking field as they could only win from that position.”

”Well I was 17 and the Man of The Match was presented with a bottle of champagne. Neither did I drink and also I hadn’t reached the legal age for drinking. My senior teammates would tell me ‘what would you do with it. Sanjay Manjrekar presented me with a white shirt which was a gift for scoring a hundred. I was really touched.”