Tendulkar gets to 11,000 Test runs

Sachin Tendulkar has had his share of problems against Monty Panesar, which is why it was probably fitting that he brought up his 11,000th Test run off him, driving him through the covers for four to move from 23 to 27. That shot took Tendulkar's tally to 11,002, next only to Brian Lara and Allan Border in the list of highest run-getters in Tests. Tendulkar has reached the milestone in 223 innings, which is 36 fewer than the number Border needed, but ten more than Lara's 213. However, Tendulkar's average of 55.43 is more than Border's (51.00) and Lara's (54.04) immediately after the innings in which they reached the landmark. (If Tendulkar gets out without adding to his 57, his average will be 55.16.)

Tendulkar hasn't been in the greatest form of late, but over the years he has given spectators plenty of champagne moments. The table below charts his progress to 11,000 runs: his best period was in the late 1990s - it took him only 38 Tests to move from 4000 to 8000. His last 1000 runs have come at a slower pace, taking him 17 Tests (28 innings).

Tendulkar's progression to 11,000 Test runs

Runs	Tests	Innings	Average	100s/ 50s
1000	19	28	41.46	4/ 4
2000	32	44	50.30	7/ 10
3000	45	67	50.85	10/ 15
4000	58	86	52.47	14/ 18
5000	67	103	53.19	18/ 20
6000	76	120	55.70	22/ 24
7000	85	136	57.98	26/ 28
8000	96	154	57.58	29/ 32
9000	111	179	56.82	32/ 36
10,000	122	195	57.70	34/ 40
11,000	139*	223	55.43	37/ 44

*Till close of play on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test

As Tendulkar's career summary shows, one of the highlights of his career has been his consistency against all teams and in all conditions. He averages 54.15 against Australia, and more than 50 against all teams except New Zealand (48.27), Pakistan (39.91) and South Africa (36.42). His record across continents is pretty good too, with the average dropping below 40 only in Africa (39.81).

The below lists the best batsmen against Australia in the period in which they have been the most dominant side. Among batsmen who've played at least ten Tests against them since 1990, only Kevin Pietersen has a better record, and the difference is marginal.

The presence of other batting giants like Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly has meant that Tendulkar has forged some excellent partnerships over these 18 years. His 97-run stand with Dravid at Trent Bridge took their overall partnership tally to 5009, which is the third-highest among all pairs, and the highest for a non-opening pair. (Greenidge and Haynes top the list with 6482, while Hayden and Langer are next with 6081.)