Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has notched up many records during the five World Cups he has played spanning over two decades. Tendulkar will be making his sixth World Cup appearance, the most by any player, in the mega event beginning Feb 19.

In 36 matches, Tendulkar has amassed 1796 runs at an average of 57.93 and tops the list of leading run-scorers in the World Cup. He has four hundreds and 13 half-centuries.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who led his team to two successive World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007, is second in the list with 1537 runs in 39 matches (average 48.03). Former West Indies captain Brian Lara is third with 1225 runs at an average of 42.24.

Retired Australian opener Adam Gilchrist has the highest strike rate of 98.01 followed by former Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya (90.66) and Tendulkar (88.21).

Tendulkar also holds the distinction of scoring maximum runs in one World Cup, that came in the 2003 mega event in South Africa piling up 673 runs. India reached the final in that edition, but lost to Australia.

Matthew Hayden is second with 659 runs in the previous World Cup in West Indies.Tendulkar also occupies the fifth place in that list on account of his 523 runs in 1996 World Cup in the subcontinent.

Tendulkar is third in the list of most centuries cracked, sharing the space with Sourav Ganguly, Mark Waugh and Ponting, who all have four hundreds.

Ganguly, however, tops the list having scored four hundreds in 21 innings, Tendulkar is third (35 innings) after Waugh (22 innings).


Sachin Tendulkar