March 27, 1994: Sachin Tendulkar sets the ball rolling as an ODI opener with 49-ball 82 against New Zealand

March 27, 1994: India legend Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings for the first time in his career against New Zealand and the rest as they say is history.

India legend Sachin Tendulkar opened the batting for the first time in ODIs against New Zealand in Auckland on March 27, 1994, and it was a move that changed Tendulkar and Indian cricket forever. #OnThisDay in 1994, @sachin_rt opened the innings in the ODIs for the first time & blazed his way to 82 off 49 balls as #TeamIndia took on New Zealand in Auckland.The rest, as they say, is history. pic.twitter.com/yvkvsiJQck Navjot Singh Sindhu was India’s regular opener but as he could not play the match owing to injury concerns, the then skipper Mohammad Azharuddin turned to Tendulkar to get the job done, who was till then, a middle-order batsman. Azharuddin's decision to make Sachin Tendulkar open in ODIs proved a turning point in Tendulkar's career and India's ODI history.