For years, Arjun Tendulkar has been making an attempt to flee the shadow of his father on a cricket discipline. When it couldn’t occur in Mumbai, he moved to Goa. Now, he has tasted the sensation of a Ranji Trophy hundred in his debut outing. The journey hasn’t been simple. The surname has had its privileges however it additionally comes with a burden.
It was a dry monsoon in Mumbai in 2015. Kanga League, historically a wet-weather cricket match, was being performed on the dry, coarse grass within the maidaans in south Mumbai. At one facet of a floor, a bunch of boys sat bantering beneath a small tent one afternoon. Arjun Tendulkar had simply been bowled off an inside edge after swishing round on an under-prepared pitch. Chai bobbled round in white plastic cups, and a teammate circled to cross it on. “Eh, chai peeyega?” Arjun shook his head, the boy let fly some snark: “Haan, haan, tu toh boost he piyega na?”
It was a surreal second: The star-status of his father and a well-liked TV advert that includes his father, offering a real-world dig. Arjun regarded uncomfortable and stared forward. He sat alone within the crowd. Most youngsters, we learnt, weren’t too satisfied that he was parachuted into their midst. Awkwardness was within the air. Like you may need felt as a schoolboy sitting with strangers at a brand new college in an unfamiliar place. Sometimes, it’s tough for the youngsters to hit it off even after some time in that setting. And right here, the context of being the son of a well-known father had injected extra awkwardness. One should add that this was only a slice of life from that summer season for Arjun. Maybe, he made some pals or at the very least sufficient for the uncomfortableness to fade. The incident is pertinent as a lot because it captured a real-life expertise for Arjun and different boys.
दणदणीत #RanjiTrophy debut! 😍💯#OneHousehold pic.twitter.com/s670We5V2x
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 14, 2022
Not that Arjun’s cricketing life hasn’t had its privileges. Standing past the boundary that day, beneath a tree, was Subroto Banerjee, the previous India bowler and a bowling coach, who was requested by his pal Sachin Tendulkar to mentor Arjun. In the final couple of years, there have been others who’ve stored an eye fixed on Arjun. Pravin Amre would test in on his batting.
The basic notion throughout this part was that Arjun was a boy in love with the sport however it wasn’t clear whether or not he had the abilities to grade up. The left-arm medium tempo appeared respectable sufficient and the batting could be noticeable on events. There was nothing dramatic. The previous few months have been much more fruitful: He has grown bodily, his bowling motion is extra fine-tuned, his tempo has elevated sufficient to attempt bouncing common Test opener Shikhar Dhawan on the Indian staff’s nets.
As you’ll anticipate, movies of his bowling have been initially lapped up. A YouTube video that has snippets of his bowling from 2013 and from the Lord’s nets in 2015 garnered 6,727,616 views on the final rely. And now many extra will maybe attempt to watch him play Ranji trophy.
Arjun’s curiosity within the sport has been seen. On cricketing excursions, like in 2012 in Australia, Arjun has rolled his arm over within the India nets. One afternoon, on the MCG, he bowled for a reasonably very long time to his father’s long-time opening accomplice Virender Sehwag who didn’t go simple on the child. Tendulkar was working the bowling machine, giving targeted batting practise to VVS Laxman. He later walked over to take a look at his son bowl, after which joined former Aussie batsman and commentator Dean Jones, who would typically come to observe the Indian nets.
As Jones walked again after his chat with Tendulkar, a few journalists requested him whether or not it was a typical sight to see gamers’ youngsters on the nets. Jones talked about how Geoff Marsh would typically convey his sons, Shaun and Mitch, to the nets.
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A 12 months later, in 2013, Arjun was on nationwide tv, in cricketing whites as a ball boy at his father’s final Test, and on the finish of all of it, standing together with his mom and sister his father bid farewell to a nation. Arjun was seated together with his household within the stands however had on subsequent days acquired nearer to the motion. He needed to be together with his teammates from the Mumbai junior circuit, the video games’ designated ball boy. Now he’s within the thick of the motion. Sun is out and there are not any shadows.
