The little master reached the coveted landmark when he completed his ton in 197 balls, having hit 12 fours and a six on the fourth day of his 175th Test match against South Africa at Super Sport Park, Centurion.
The master batsman, enjoying a memorable year at age 37, has amassed 1,532 runs in thirteen Tests this year at an amazing average of more than 85 runs per innings.
Tendulkar has scored seven centuries and five fifties in the year 2010 with one more match to play against South Africa starting on December 26.
Test cricket's greatest run-scorer has till now scored more than 14,500 runs and scored 59 fifties along with the half-century of centuries.
With one more match of the three-Test series in South Africa scheduled for this year, Tendulkar has opportunity to surpass Mohammad Yousuf's record of 1,768 runs in a calendar year (2006)
Sachin Tendulkar today became the first batsman to score 50 centuries in Test cricket. The 37-year-old achieved the feat, and also passed 14,500 Test runs, as India battled to make South Africa bat again in the first Test in Centurion.
Tendulkar moved to 95 by driving Paul Harris for six, then edged towards 100, ultimately reaching the milestone in his 175th Test with a single off Dale Steyn.
Afterwards he dedicated the milestone to his father, who died in 1999. "It was his birthday yesterday and I wanted to do something in his honour," he said. "I also thank all the well-wishers and fans who have supported me throughout. Just keep supporting me like this and I will continue to perform. I was not chasing any record. I have never run behind records. But I am happy."
It was the second notable feat achieved by an Indian batsman after Rahul Dravid became the third man, after Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, to reach 12,000 runs in Test cricket.
Despite their heroics, though, India still finished day four on the brink of defeat. Needing 484 to make the Proteas bat again, India were 454 for eight when a storm came in to end play in the final over.
That they batted out the day was thanks to a partnership of 172 between Tendulkar and MS Dhoni (90) after India had slipped from 190 for two to 277 for six in the morning session.
The only highlight of the opening session for India came when Dravid reached his milestone in typically unspectacular fashion, with a single off Paul Harris in the 64th over. By that time, though, the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had already fallen.
Dravid and Tendulkar then continued to frustrate the Proteas but when Dravid was caught behind off Morne Morkel for 43, he became the first of three to fall for 35 runs. VVS Laxman played an injudicious shot off Lonwabo Tsotsobe, edging to gully, before Suresh Raina offered catching practice to Harris at first slip.
That left them 277 for six at lunch and on the brink of defeat. But Dhoni launched an astonishing counter-attack with a flurry of strokes which made the pitch look as placid as it had when South Africa piled up 620 for four in their innings.
He began with a couple of drives of Tsotsobe for four, then dished out similar treatment to Morkel.
Tendulkar reached 50 by smashing Steyn through midwicket, but Dhoni was in dominant form, hitting three successive boundaries off Jacques Kallis and a single off Morkel to take him to his own half-century from 40 balls. The onslaught slowed thereafter and Tendulkar was lucky to survive a strong lbw appeal off Harris.
After tea, Tendulkar rushed into the 90s before displaying understandable signs of nerves. But he moved to 99 with two from an inside edge, then forced the next ball into the covers for the single he needed before raising his arms in the air to accept the congratulations of the crowd and the opposition.
That joy was curtailed for India, though, as Steyn produced a spiteful, lifting delivery to have Dhoni caught behind to end an exceptional partnership. Harbhajan Singh edged Harris to Kallis at slip in the next over, before the weather closed in to push the match into a fifth day.
Ponting has scored the second-most Test centuries, 39, while Wally Hammond, Geoffrey Boycott and Colin Cowdrey share the English record with 22.
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