Sachin Tendulkar played his 200th and final Test at his home ground, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, retiring after 24 years of international cricket — the longest such career in history. His retirement speech, delivered in the middle of Wankhede, moved a nation to tears.
Sachin Tendulkar had been playing Test cricket since 1989 — he was 16 when he made his debut against Pakistan. By November 2013 he was 40, had scored 15,921 Test runs, 51 Test centuries, and had been the face of Indian cricket for an entire generation.
The choice of Wankhede — his home ground — for his 200th Test was deliberate and emotional. The match against West Indies was secondary to the occasion. Tickets were sold for extraordinary amounts. The stands were full hours before play began.
Tendulkar scored 74 in his final innings — not his greatest, but characteristically correct and patient. India won the match by an innings and 126 runs on the third day.
Afterward, Tendulkar delivered his farewell speech in the middle of Wankhede. He thanked his parents, his family, his late father — 'I miss you. I wish you were here to see this' — his coach Ramakant Achrekar, his teammates across 24 years, and the crowds who had followed him across India and the world.
The speech lasted 15 minutes. Tendulkar wept. His teammates wept. Virat Kohli, who had grown up idolising him, could not stop crying. The entire Wankhede stood in silence or wept with him. Sachin Tendulkar's career was over.
He finished with 15,921 Test runs, 51 centuries, 34,357 international runs, 100 international centuries, across 664 international matches.
Tendulkar walking out for his final Test innings at Wankhede — his home ground
India winning by an innings — the match completing on a fitting note
Tendulkar's 15-minute farewell speech in the middle of Wankhede
1989
Tendulkar makes Test debut aged 16 — first of 200 Tests
November 14, 2013
Tendulkar's 200th Test begins at Wankhede, Mumbai
November 16, 2013
India win by innings — Tendulkar's farewell speech
India cricket entered a transition period. Virat Kohli became the dominant batsman and eventually captain. Tendulkar moved into ambassador roles and was honoured with India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna — the first active sportsperson to receive it.
The greatest farewell cricket has seen from its greatest run-scorer. Tendulkar's 24-year career needed the grandeur of Wankhede to match its scale — and the farewell delivered it.
Tendulkar's farewell speech is replayed as an example of what sport means — the gratitude, the love, the weight of carrying a nation's expectations for 24 years. His statistics are the most dominant in the history of international cricket.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.