Sachin Tendulkar created history as India thwarted a spirited fightback from Australia to reach 311 for five on the opening day of the second Test here on Friday. Tendulkar, 35, surpassed West Indian Brian Lara's tally of 11,953 runs to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket. He was dismissed for 88 shortly before stumps, taking his tally to 12,027 runs at an average of 54.17. While Tendulkar took 152 Tests to break Lara's mark, the West Indian retired after 131 Tests. He reached the landmark in the first over after tea when he steered debutant paceman Peter Siddle past third-man for three runs to move past 15, sending the 15,000 crowd at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium into a frenzy. Tendulkar looked in ominous form as he cut, pulled and drove in exquisite fashion to reach his 50th Test half-century. His 111-ball knock, containing 10 fours, was cut short by Siddle when he edged him to Matthew Hayden who took a fine low catch at first slip. Tendulkar is already the world's top scorer in one-day internationals (16,361 runs), and has more Test (39) and one-day (42) centuries than any other batsman. Ganguly, batting on 54 at close with four fours, also achieved a personal milestone when he reached 39, becoming the fourth Indian to score 7,000 runs behind Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Mahendra Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat in the absence of injured regular captain Anil Kumble. Australia awarded a Test cap to Siddle after paceman Stuart Clark was ruled unfit for the match. India blooded leg-spinner Amit Mishra. After crossing the milestone, the Indian pumped his fists and gazed at the sky. “When I looked up I had two thoughts: one was I thanked the Almighty for everything he's given me,” Tendulkar said. “The second thing I thought about was my father. If he'd seen it, he would have definitely been a proud man.” Ramesh Tendulkar, one of his son's greatest supporters, died during the 1999 World Cup. Captain Ricky Ponting was the first of the Australians to shake Tendulkar's hand before play was held up for a couple of minutes while celebratory fireworks were let off. “It's been a fantastic journey,” Tendulkar said. “It's not only about success, there have been ups and downs. Through those various challenges I've been able to overcome those obstacles. Success is a journey and sometimes there are stones thrown at you.” “I was not under so much pressure about this record,” Tendulkar said. “I knew I just had to go out and play my game. There was no burden as such. Today I wanted to watch the ball as closely as possible and not think about the record.” “But when you come near a record, subconsciously you think about it, but the important thing is to play your best for the country. “I planned to stay till the end but that did not happen. I thought I did not use my feet well but that's the beauty of the game. The ball changes and so does the game.” “All the records are meant to be broken,” Tendulkar said. “We need to see what happens in the future. I'm quite pleased it's come my way.” Tendulkar, among the team's senior players faced with questions of retirement, added jokingly: “If stones are thrown at you, you convert them into milestones.” Tendulkar made his Test debut as a 16-year-old on November 15, 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi. Tributes pour in India's President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday led a grateful nation in paying glowing tributes to record-smashing batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar's first coach Ramakant Achrekar said he had been “expecting the record for a long time.”
