Sportskeeda's Top 50 Indian Test cricketers of all-time (10-1)

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar's humongous career aggregate of 15,921 runs is unlikely to be surpassed

At a time when almost every other budding cricketer of his age were barely entering into the first-class circuit, the then 16-year old Sachin Tendulkar was gearing up to tackle a bowling attack containing the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Abdul Qadir in the hostile territory of Pakistan. By the time he turned 20, the rousing talent had Test tons to his name in places as diverse as England, Australia and South Africa. Naturally, the already astronomical expectations would only rise further with each instance of him stepping into the hallowed turf.

Extra Cover: 8 instances which prove that Sachin Tendulkar is the epitome of sportsmanship

In spite of having to shoulder the hopes of a billion plus population aside from carrying the fortunes of a volatile batting lineup during the initial phase of his career, Tendulkar converted every challenge into a platform for attaining unprecedented success. Traversing along with three different generations of Indian cricketers, the meticulous right-hander proceeded to become the symbol of longevity in his storied career.

From being a dashing stroke-maker in the 90s, he re-fashioned himself to a remorseless accumulator of runs during the 2000s when India possessed an intimidating batting lineup. Nearly every batting record in the game belongs to the revered Mumbaikar. Even as plenty may come and go, the vast majority of his feats should continue to stand the test of time.

Career Span: 1989-2013

Statistics: 15,921 runs from 200 matches at an average of 53.78 with 51 centuries and 68 fifties