Nobody Knows About Sachin Tendulkar's Test Strike Rate Because Of What Happened 33 Years Before

In 1990, during a Test match vs Sri Lanka at Chandigarh, Tendulkar scored 11. The number of balls was however not record leading to absence of Strike Rate in Tests.

Sachin Tendulkar. (Source: X)

Rated as the greatest cricketer of all time by many, Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing  numbers are insame. The India great has played 200 Tests, making him the only cricketer to have done so. Add to that 463 ODIs, and 99 T20s, which also include the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. In 200 Tests, Sachin has smashed 15,291 runs at a massive average of 53.79. In ODIs, he has scored 18,426 runs, that includes the best score of 200 not out and a record 49 tons. Plug it with his 51 Test centuries, and that makes 100 hundreds.

But do you know that despite such a brilliant career, Tendulkar's Test Strike Rate is missing. You must be wondering how is that possible? When all the stats related to Tendulkar is there, how is that his Strike Rate in Tests has gone missing? This is because in one of Sachin's Test innings, the numbers of ball he faced was not recorded. 

Share a cricket fact that sounds fake but is actually true.

Ours is: Sachin Tendulkar doesn't have an official strike rate in tests as we do not know how many deliveries he faced in a test match played at the Gandhi Stadium, Chandigarh between India& Sri Lanka in 1990. pic.twitter.com/Jp60UuLdiH

— India Wants To Know: India's First Panel Quiz Show (@IWTKQuiz) September 19, 2023

That Test innings came against Sri Lanka in 1990. In a Test match played at Gandhi stadium in Chandigarh from November 23 to 27, 1990, Sachin stroked 11 runs in the first innings but the scorer missed to record the number of balls he faced. Hence, the strike rate is missing from his stats. 

The Average is based on number of runs a batter scores in what number innings and how many times he has returned unbeaten. However, the strike rate is calculated by how many runs a batter has scored in how many balls. If the number of balls is missing then calculating strike rate is not possible. That is why Tendulkar's Test Strike Rate is missing as nobody knows how many balls he had faced to score those 11 runs and it is now impossible to get that stat, 33 years later. 

In case you didn't know, there is a scorer who is sits at the stadium to record all the stats related to the match. He or she keep a close eye on the proceedings and cannot miss a single moment in the game as it can change the fate of the match. Based on the stats of that match, player stats are updated. Imagine what would have happened if these scorers went missing or erred in some international matches. The greatness of a player will be gone forever. Sachin Tendulkar is hailed as much for his numbers as he is for winning matches for India.