Three years ago on this very day, December 23, the Little Master bid adieu to coloured cricket. Over a span of 463 One Day Internationals, Sachin Tendulkar had by then broken almost every record that existed in world cricket. And unlike that speech at the end of his last Test against West Indies at Mumbai in 2013, there were no emotional farewells.

It was an announcement that came as a bit of a bolt from the blue.

In a long and distinguished career, Tendulkar scored the majority of his ODI runs as opener. And it was way back in 1994 in an ODI against New Zealand (video above) that Tendulkar grabbed his chance. Navjot Singh Sidhu pulled out with a neck strain and a fresh-faced Tendulkar was pushed up to open. The rest, as they say, was history.

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Tendulkar showed what he could do by nonchalantly hammering 82 off just 49 balls.

The double century

By now Sachin’s career was nearing its end. And though he kept piling on the runs, most fans believed someone like a Virender Sehwag or a Chris Gayle had a better chance of being crowned ODI cricket’s first double centurion.

Tendulkar, naturally, had other ideas. Showing that he hadn't lost his appetite for big scores, he hit his first ODI double-century against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010, a dazzling innings if there ever was one.

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CB Series, 2008

India had reached the 2008 CB Series finals and an overconfident Ricky Ponting had already predicted that a third final would not be necessary. He was right – a Tendulkar classic in the first final and a solid 91 in the second were enough for India to post a famous series win over Australia down under.

Desert Storm

We’ve saved the best for the last – the innings which has acquired mythical status and cemented the Tendulkar legend. This is Tendulkar at his marauding, flamboyant best. Sit upright, don't relax and let the adrenaline flow all over again.