Sachin Tendulkar scores cricket's first 100th century

On March 16, 2012, in Mirpur, Bangladesh, Sachin Tendulkar reached a number that no cricketer had reached before and that may never be reached again: his 100th international century, a milestone that seemed almost preposterously impossible until the moment it became real.

The century — 114 off 147 balls against Bangladesh in an Asia Cup match at Mirpur's Shere Bangla National Stadium — came after a period of unusual pressure. Tendulkar had been stuck on 99 international hundreds for over a year, approaching the milestone and then falling short repeatedly, the accumulated weight of expectation visibly affecting the man who had spent his entire career appearing to carry India's sporting hopes with easy grace.

When the milestone finally arrived — a single in the 44th over brought up the hundred — the reaction was characteristic: a visibly emotional, subdued celebration, Tendulkar absorbing the recognition of the crowd with the quiet gravity that had always distinguished him from players who made spectacle of their achievements.

The number itself requires context to appreciate. Tendulkar scored his 100th century across more than two decades of international cricket, spanning formats and generations, against every significant opponent, on every significant ground. The closest any other player has come is around 70. The gap between 100 and 70 is not incremental; it represents a different order of sustained excellence.

India lost the match — Bangladesh chased down India's 289 with four balls to spare, winning by five wickets — which created its own small irony: a milestone so massive, overshadowed by defeat. But the result was beside the point. Tendulkar had done something the sport had never seen. Whether it will ever be seen again is genuinely uncertain.