For Sachin Tendulkar and his family, the last three to four days have been very memorable. The renowned cricketer saw his 23-year-old son Arjun Tendulkar make his IPL debut for the same club at the storied Wankhede Stadium, ten years after he had played his last game for the franchise.
Sachin, who is generally considered as one of the best hitters to have ever played the game, must have found the occasion to be extremely emotional having closely seen and contributed to Arjun’s growth as a fast bowling allrounder.
In fact, Sachin’s reaction when Arjun bowled the first over of the MI vs. Kolkata Knight Riders match was astounding.
On-air for Star Sports, Ian Bishop claimed Sachin cried as he discussed the parallels between Arjun’s maiden IPL over and his own.
I won’t say his name, but the floor manager spoke with Sachin and expressed his delight that Arjun is now participating in the IPL. Tears welled up in Sachin’s eyes. Then he said, “You know, my first over in the IPL went for five when I bowled.” Moreover, Arjun’s first over resulted in a five. Thus, Sachin had it in his mind the whole time,” Bishop added.
The host Ravi Shastri said, “He (Sachin) would be nervous nonetheless. Arjun’s memory is brought up by Bish (Bishop) each time he receives the ball. He’ll forget a handful of his innings, but he won’t forget a single over. Besides, he has bowled. He will never forget anything.
Arjun was required to defend 20 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last over of his second game for MI on Tuesday night. And he managed to pick up a wicket in addition to giving up only five runs in exactly as many deliveries.
After the game, Arjun shared the advice his father had given him.
“He advises me to support what I practice every game, and we (Sachin Tendulkar and him) chat about cricket and strategies before the game. I simply concentrated on getting the ball out with excellent length and line. If it swings, great; if not, that’s life,” replied Arjun.
