AP:

Cricket lovers the world over knew it was just a matter of time.

But finally, after being stranded for a full year in matches from England to Australia, Sachin Tendulkar of India scored his 100th international century to the collective relief of his cricket-mad country of more than 1 billion people.

In a sport dedicated to statistics, nobody can match Tendulkar's numbers. He has scored the most runs and the most centuries in tests and limited-overs cricket. And he was the only batsman likely to hit the magical 100 hundreds mark in his lifetime.

Tendulkar, known as the 'Little Master,' reached the milestone - one of the most prized achievements in cricket in the Asia Cup at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday.

The moment came with a clipped single to square leg from spinner Shakib Al Hassan, although it wasn't enough to prevent Bangladesh from stunning India by five wickets. He was finally out for 114.

"I can't think of anything at this stage, it has been a tough phase for me," Tendulkar told Neo Cricket channel after his innings. "I started off the season well but was luckless. It does not matter how many hundreds you score, you still have to grind it out."

India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the outpouring of praise. Singh called Tendulkar's 23-year career a "triumph of class, character and courage" and wished that he keeps playing to inspire youngsters with "many more innings and feats".