COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sachin Tendulkar is set to become the most capped Test cricketer when India plays Sri Lanka in the third and final match on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old batting great, who is the most prolific scorer in both Tests and one-day internationals and who has the most number of centuries in both versions, will surpass former Australia captain Steve Waugh when he plays his 169th Test.
"It has been a long journey. The 169th Test. I still remember the first Test match that I played in Pakistan," Tendulkar said Monday. "Very happy that I have had the privilege of such a long journey at international level and this was my dream. To play for India was my dream and getting to play 169 Test matches is fantastic."
Tendulkar made his international debut as a 16-year-old and has since played 168 Tests and 442 one-day internationals, just two matches behind the most capped Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya.
He has scored 13,742 Test runs, including a record 48 centuries, and 17,598 runs in ODIs. He has also taken nearly 200 wickets in international cricket, bowling a mixture of slow-medium, off breaks and leg breaks.
Besides Tendulkar's record, the Test match will also be crucial for India as it must win the match to level the three-match series.
Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 10 wickets, a match that also saw off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan bow out of Test cricket with a record haul of 800 wickets.
The second game ended a high-scoring draw on a placid Sinhalese Sports Club pitch.
A loss in the third game at Colombo's P. Sara Oval would condemn India to a third straight series defeat in Sri Lanka after 1-2 losses in 2001 and 2008.
"We are 1-0 down so the best we can do is level this series. It will be a big challenge," Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "We have to see that the result of the Test is in our favour. We will have to be the team that takes the extra initiative because even if the Test ends in a draw Sri Lanka win the series."
The task, however, could be more difficult with the visitors' strike spin bowler Harbhajan Singh looking doubtful for the match because of an injury and opener Gautam Gambhir ruled out for a second straight Test.
However, Sri Lanka is strengthened with return of seamer Lasith Malinga after missing the second Test because of an injury.
"The motivation is still there to win the Test series, that's the fact that we are concentrating on," Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said.
Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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