Cricket: Tendulkar becomes the first man to hit 50 Test centuries

Sachin TENDULKAR yesterday became the first batsman to score 50 centuries in Test cricket.

The 37-year-old achieved the feat, and also passed 14,500 runs, as India battled to make South Africa bat again in the first Test in Centurion.

Tendulkar moved to 95 by driving Paul Harris for six, then edged towards 100, ultimately reaching the milestone in his 175th Test with a single off Dale Steyn. It was the second notable feat achieved by an Indian batsman yesterday after Rahul Dravid became the third man, after Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, to reach 12,000 runs in Test cricket.

Despite their heroics, though, India still finished day four on the brink of defeat.

Needing 484 to make the Proteas bat again, India were 454 for eight when a storm came in to end play in the final over.

That they batted out the day was thanks to a partnership of 172 between Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (90) after India had slipped from 190 for two to 277 for six in the morning session.

The only highlight of the opening session for India came when Dravid reached his milestone in typically unspectacular fashion with a single off Harris in the 64th over.

By that time, though, nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had already fallen.

He ate up the best part of ten overs yesterday morning before clipping Steyn to Hashim Amla at short leg for 23.

Dravid and Tendulkar then continued to frustrate the Proteas but when Dravid was caught behind off Morne Morkel for 43, he became the first of three to fall for 35 runs.

VVS Laxman played an injudicious shot off Lonwabo Tsotsobe, edging to gully, before Suresh Raina offered catching practice to Harris at first slip.

That left them 277 for six at lunch and on the brink of defeat. But captain Dhoni launched an astonishing counter-attack to help take the score to 454-8.