Indian batsmen who were at the top of the rankings for the highest period

#1 Sachin Tendulkar (March 1998 to August 2002)

Sachin Tendulkar has 100 international centuries

The longest reign at the summit was by Sachin Tendulkar. The first time he was on top was on November 18, 1994. He stayed there for almost 8 months but then slid down the rankings again. But in March 1998 he climbed up the stairs to be atop the board again and this time he stayed there for long.

No one, not even the great Brian Lara could dislodge him from the seat till August 2002, a record which still now stands. Astonishingly the little master once again got back the batting crown on October 8,2010 almost 16 years after he made his Test debut.

Only Don Bradman, Garry Sobers, and Jack Hobbs have managed comparable stints at the very top in the history of the game.

By the time he quit the game, Tendulkar had a record breaking 18426 runs in ODIs and 15921 Test runs which included 100 international tons.