Tendulkar reached the landmark while making 93 in India's six-wicket win against South Africa at Stormont here Friday, a victory which levelled the three-match series at 1-1 ahead of Sunday's finale at the Belfast ground.
His innings left Tendulkar with a one-day international career record of 15,043 runs in 387 matches at an average of 44.
24 with 41 hundreds.
To put that in context, his nearest pursuer in the list of all-time leading one-day international run scorers is Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya with 12,063 in 395 matches.
"It is satisfying, a wonderful moment," the 34-year-old Tendulkar told reporters after stumps. "This match was extremely important for us, to keep us alive in the series. It's obviously a happy feeling - especially when we ended up on a winning note.
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But Tendulkar, who made his debut as a 16-year-old, said the record had simply been the result of a long career. "After playing for 18 years, I feel it's just one of those things.
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Nicknamed the 'Little