Sachin Tendulkar breaks Gavaskar's record

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday surpassed all past and present cricketers in the world, knocking the largest number of centuries in Tests. With his 40th Test century in the fourth and final Test against Australia here, Sachin Tendulkar eclipsed all records of Test centuries.

Breaking Sunil Gavaskar's record of most Test centuries in India, Tendulkar scored his 17th Test hundred in India and 40th overall in the fourth and final Test against Australia here.

He is the second batsman to record 10 Test hundreds against Australia. England's Jack Hobbs had made 12.

Tendulkar also crossed Allan Border' tally of 90 fifty-plus - 27 centuries + 63 fifties. Tendulkar now has 91 fifty-plus innings (40 centuries + 51 fifties).

Other statistical highlights of the day:

V.V.S. Laxman became the eighth Indian and the 46th in Test annals to appear in 100 Tests.

The eight Indian players with 100 Tests are: Sachin Tendulkar (154), Anil Kumble (132), Kapil Dev (131), Rahul Dravid (129), Sunil Gavaskar (125), Dilip Vengsarkar (116), Sourav Ganguly (113) and V.V.S. Laxman (100).

Laxman's innings of 64 off 141 balls is the highest innings by an Indian player, playing in his 100th Test match, eclipsing Kapil Dev's 55 against Pakistan at Karachi in 1989-90.

Laxman, during the course of his 10th fifty against Australia, completed 1,000 runs this year. For the first time in his Test career, he has accomplished the feat.

Virender Sehwag's 16th Test fifty is his sixth against Australia.

Sehwag, when he was on 21, completed 5,000 runs in the opening slot - 5,037 at an average of 53.02 in 99 innings, including 14 centuries and 14 fifties.

Sehwag is the second Indian and the 21st in the world to aggregate 5,000 runs as an opener. Sunil Gavaskar holds the world record for aggregating 9,607 at an average of 50.30, including 33 hundreds and 42 fifties in 203 innings.

Rahul Dravid's fourth duck against Australia is his seventh overall in Test Cricket.

Dravid's duck off the second ball is his second in India. His first duck in India was against Australia in the 2004-05 Bangalore Test.

Dravid's series average of 19.50 - 117 runs in six innings -- is his worst in a
four-Test rubber. His worst ever series average is 15.50 against Australia in Australia in 1998-99 - 93 in six innings (three Tests) without a fifty.

Dravid's average this year is now 31.38 - his worst ever in a calendar year - 659 in 23 innings (13 Tests), including one century and four fifties. Since January 2007, he has averageed 33.28 in 42 innings (23 Tests), including two hundreds and seven fifties.

Sachin Tendulkar (384) became the third batsman after Gautam Gambhir (463) and Laxman (377) to aggregate 300-plus in the present series.

Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman put on 146 runs - this is the second best partnership by this pair for the fourth wicket against Australia - the best being 353 at Sydney in 2003-04.