Tendulkar creates history with 12,000 runs

Sachin Tendulkar became the highest run scorer in Test cricket on Friday as he surpassed Brian Lara's mark of 11953 runs. Sachin achieved this feat on the first day of the second Test match against Australia in Mohali.

The stifling suspense and the prolonged wait finally came to an end as Sachin Tendulkar emerged as the highest run-accumulator in Test cricket's history, staking a legitimate claim as the best batsman cricket has known since Don Bradman, both aesthetically and statistically.

Congratulate Sachin

The master blaster had made 12027 runs in his Test career by the time he was dismissed in the first innings of the Mohali Test. Tendulkar was out at the score of 88.

Test debutant Peter Siddle sent down the first ball of the post-tea session. Tendulkar glided it to third man for three runs to surpass Lara's record of 11,953 runs and raise the bar even higher for posterity.

Relieved to have achieved the milestone that eluded him in Bangalore, an overwhelmed Tendulkar took the helmet off and looked upwards in a silent prayer and suddenly all the hostility surrounding the India-Australia Test series evaporated as Ricky Ponting and his men came to shook hands with him.

Sourav Ganguly walked down from the non-striker's end, patting him on the achievement and firecrackers went off around the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in a pre-Diwali celebration to mark the golden moment in the history of Indian cricket.

Tendulkar had got the chance to break Lara's record on the final day of the first Test match at Bangalore in the ongoing series of Border-Gavaskar trophy, but he was dismissed on 49, 14 runs short of the 11953-run mark.

Before the Mohali Test, Indian captain Anil Kumble had some special words to share about Tendulkar.

"To have shared the dressing room (with him) and seen him scoring every run sitting inside the dressing room and sometime out there on the other side is a fantastic feeling," Kumble said.

Australia captain Ponting, too, praised Tendulkar. "Everybody knows he is a great player. We saw in the second innings (of Bangalore Test) the other day that he still has the hunger and is still playing very very well," Ponting said.

Sachin's Test career:

Career Summary	Span	Mat	Runs	HS	Avg
v Australia	1991-2008	27	2414	241*	54.86
v Bangladesh	2000-2007	5	556	248*	139.00
v England	1990-2007	22	1994	193	62.31
v New Zealand	1990-2003	16	1062	217	48.27
v Pakistan	1989-2007	18	1057	194*	42.28
v South Africa	1992-2008	20	1202	169	35.35
v Sri Lanka	1990-2008	19	1408	148	56.32
v West Indies	1994-2002	16	1328	179	57.73
v Zimbabwe	1992-2002	9	918	201*	76.50

On different turfs:

Career Summary	Span	Mat	Runs	HS	Avg
in Australia	1991-2008	16	2414	241*	54.86
in Bangladesh	2000-2007	5	556	248*	139.00
in England	1990-2007	13	1994	193	62.31
in India	1990-2008	65	1062	217	48.27
in New Zealand	1990-2002	8	1057	194*	42.28
in Pakistan	1989-2006	10	1202	169	35.35
in South Africa	1992-2007	12	1408	148	56.32
in Sri Lanka	1993-2008	9	1328	179	57.73
in West Indies	1997-2002	10	1328	179	57.73
in Zimbabwe	1992-2001	4	918	201*	76.50

*Figures as on October 16, 2008