..dedicates achievement to  late father and all his supporters
(REUTERS)-India’s Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to score 50 Test centuries, reaching 107 not out on the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa yesterday.
Despite Tendulkar’s achievement, India were facing defeat in the Test after a storm ended Sunday’s play with the visitors on 454 for eight, 30 runs behind South Africa.
Tendulkar called his 50th Test century “just another number” and said he was dedicating it to his late father and all his supporters. “It’s just another number but it’s nice, I’m very happy that it came at this moment. Yesterday was my father’s birthday and so I dedicate this hundred to him. That’s the first thing I thought of, that I was doing it for him. And also to say thank you for all the fabulous support I have had over the years,” Tendulkar told a news conference.
“I’m just really enjoying my batting at the moment and when you are striking the ball really well and moving well, you need to cash in as much as possible.”
Tendulkar, who has scored seven centuries this year, said the key to his prolonged success was his hunger to score runs.
“Every innings, I want to go out and score runs. It’s extremely important to have that hunger, that’s what keeps you going.”
BROAD SMILE
The 37-year-old Tendulkar batted for five hours to reach his 107, sharing a seventh-wicket stand of 172 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (90).
His century came in 258 minutes off 197 balls. Tendulkar removed his helmet, raised both arms and looked to the sky with a broad smile on his face, while the South African team applauded warmly and the Centurion crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Tendulkar, who is Test cricket’s leading run-scorer with 14,509 in 175 matches, stroked 13 fours, mostly through the off-side with classical strokes, and a six hammered straight back over left-arm spinner Paul Harris’s head.
He said he still believed India could save the game on the final day.
“You need to think positively. The batsmen have produced a very good response and it was extremely important for us to come back strong, to send a strong message and we’ve done that. We need to keep that up, do that for the remainder of the series.”