Sachin Tendulkar hits 49th century | Tendulkar | 49th Test hundred

Sachin Tendulkar reached his 49th Test hundred to lead India to lunch in a strong position on day three of the second Test against Australia at Bangalore.

Tendulkar is the first batsman in the world to hit six centuries in a calendar year.

Starting the third day's play on a positive note, Tendulkar reached his half-century on the third ball of the day with a boundary.

Tendulkar now has two centuries in Bangalore, sharing the record for most centuries with Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin.

This is Tendulkar's first century at Bangalore after 12 years. His last ton at the venue came in 1998, also against Australia.

Tendulkar, who on the second day of the Test became the first batsman to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket has been in superb form of late.

In the last 10 Test matches, Tendulkar has scored a fifty or more.

Tendulkar, who has an international career spanning over two decades, on Wednesday bagged his maiden ICC Cricketer of the Year trophy along with the People's Choice Award.

Tendulkar, who made his debut as a 16-year-old against Pakistan way back in November 15, 1989, was also named the winner of LG People's Choice Award.

Tendulkar also featured in the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year as picked by the independent selection panel.