The venue for his historic moment was Dhaka in a one-day match against Bangladesh. It is not the stuff of fairytales but he will not care. He has set a unique record that will live down the ages. Only the true greats in sport set an unbeatable benchmark and his 100 international centuries is Tendulkar's equivalent of Sir Donald Bradman's Test average of 99.94.

I am not god, I am Sachin Tendulkar" - said the iconic India cricketer who watched in dejection as his 100th international century, which he described as the "toughest" of his career, was overshadowed by the team's shock loss to Bangladesh in an Asia Cup match here.

"Yes, I have to be honest. I am human and I have emotions so I was frustrated. It does play on your mind," Tendulkar told reporters at the post-match press conference after India lost by 5 wickets.

It took Sachin 36 balls to go from 80 to 100 on Friday and his 114-run knock came off 147 deliveries but the veteran insisted that personal milestone was the last thing on his mind.

"The hundred was not the only thing on my mind. I was thinking about getting a good total for the team. When I looked at the scoreboard, I was looking at the run-rate and what we needed to do; I was avoiding looking at my personal score," he said.

"I was not looking at the scoreboard. I just took it one ball at a time and looked to do it for the team. Even after completing my century, my job was not done." 

Neither will be bettered. Tendulkar has played international cricket since 1989. I can't see a modern player lasting that long.

The batting legend ended a long one-year wait after reaching the three figure mark against Bangladesh at the Asia Cup in Mirpur near Dhaka, scoring 114 off 147 balls. 
"I join the nation in congratulating Sachin on making a hundred centuries. He has made India proud," Manmohan Singh said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said said the "Indian cricketer throughout his illustrious career has shown rare combination of mastery, fortitude and dedication towards the game that has enthralled the people across the world".

Former Australia captain Adam Gilchrist led the compliments pouring in from the cricketing world saying Sachin was the best batsmen of all-time. 

"The outstanding feature of Sachin is his temperament. You would never see him upset on the field. The way he has handled the fame and the fortune is truly remarkable. Well played to him." 

Ricky Ponting is a distant second in the hundreds list with 71. 
"He is well ahead of the group and 29 hundreds in a normal scenario, you see in a couple of careers," Gilchrist added.

Pakistan legend Javed Miandad said the 38-year old was a role model for upcoming cricketers.

"I congratulate Sachin on behalf of Pakistan. Anyone who wants to pursue a cricketing career, Sachin is the one to be followed," said Miandad, who is tied with Sachin for six World Cup appearances. 

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly called him a "true champion".
"Lets just enjoy Sachin's achievment. It is an amazing feat," said Ganguly.

Former India teammate Murali Karthik said "this is a marathon noone can run" while Sanjay Manjrekar felt "the sheer hunger of runs" was the main factor behind Sachin's phenomenal career. 

The sport's administrators in India and outside joined in praising the legend. 
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) N. Srinivasan described Sachin's feat as a colossal one.

"Ever since he made his international debut in Nov 1989, Sachin has strode cricketing arenas the world over, like a colossus. He has broken old records and set new benchmarks. He has been an inspiration to billions, and an ornament to the sport. 16th March 2012 will never be forgotten by cricket-lovers," said Srinivsan.

Sports minister Ajay Maken said: "It is a big big achievement and India is proud to have a player like Sachin."

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat called Sachin a modern-day great.

"This is indeed a magnificent feat and not likely to be easily emulated. Fans have admired Sachin for more than twenty years and have recently waited with great expectation for his 100th international century.

"Like millions of others I have personally followed his career ever since he first played for India as a gifted 16-year-old and now, more than two decades later, his passion and personal records, which include more than 33,000 runs is a modern day wonder," said Lorgat.