Arjun Tendulkar

Arjun Tendulkar at the mere age of 10 is experiencing tremendous pressure on his small shoulders whenever he lifts up the bat, no matter if it just to swat a fly! The point is as the son of legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar he is expected to pursue cricket as his future career and supposedly become a legend like his father himself. It is quite true that you might share the same interests and talent as your parents. But it has also been proved time and again that success of one generation doesn’t always have to be repeated by the succeeding generation. You can look at the example of previous Indian Cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar and the mediocre success tasted by his son Rohan Gavaskar.

The pressure is thus immense on Arjun to outshine his father even when he has shown inkling for cricket since his toddler years. One could find him yelling at the top of his lungs for his father during a match! Recently Arjun Tendulkar made headlines in January when he made his cricketing debut at the U-13 Cadency Trophy from MIGC Club in Pune. Although his team lost the cup, the kid showed the same spirit as witnessed in his father Sachin Tendulkar. On Sachin’s part one can observe that although he might have a desire to see his son follow his path, he doesn’t want to put pressure on the child so soon. Arjun has shown equal interest in Badminton sports as well and he gets regular coaching for cricket along with badminton at the behest of his father.

The future expands large in front of both father and son duo and it is only a matter of time when Arjun Tendulkar will face the real world to battle it out for his sake as well as his father’s sake!

India – Pak one day match at Mohali (2007)

“Come on Sachin, bowl in the block hole”, the then seven-year old Arjun cheered, when Younis Khan entered the 90s in Pakistan’s reply to India’s 321.

“C’mon Sachin, bowl him a yorker,” Arjun Tendulkar shouted again when Younis crept up to Sachin Tendulkar’s score of 99.

“Sachin, get him out,” shouted Jr Tendulkar at the prospect of Younis surpassing Sachin’s score.

“Oh no!” Arjun expressed his disappointment when Younis Khan overtook his dads score!

But he was soon back in action and started cheering his dad!

Arjun, constantly kept following the score board, chewing his nails like his dad, as he cheered Team India to win.

Even when Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq refused be get out, Arjun was passionately cheering for India. “C’mon India, we need a wicket now,” he shouted, earning an adoring glance from mother Anjali Tendulkar and star tennis player Sania Mirza who was also present at the occasion.

“We need one more wicket, India,” Arjun shouted when Misbah got out. “We must get Afridi out … he’s a dangerous player,” the young Arjun Tendulkar shouted.

Arjun Tendulkar is Publicity shy just like his famous father. When a lade TV reporter requested him for an interview, he politely declined saying “I don’t want to be interviewed”.

Arjun was very disappointed when Pakistan scored the winning runs of the last over of the match.

Greg Chappell, who was in Mumbai to launch a cricket coaching scheme for young cricketers, met the 5 year old Sachin’s son.

“Oh, is it Sachin’s son?” said Chappell. “Hey, little guy. What’s your name?”

The little guy, looking a little puzzled at the media crowd together and the 56-year-old stranger, spoke after some time, “Arjun.”

“Andrew?” asked a quite confused-sounding Chappell.

More confusion from Tendulkar junior’s end.

“Oh… Arjun,” Chappell corrected himself after some prompting.

Arjun then sat down with Chappell. “He has some queries for you,” someone told Chappell.

“Oh I don’t think he needs to answer me for his queries. He has the best batsman to get his answers,” answered Chappell at Arjun’s obviously confused stare.

Chappell asked, “So, do you bowl or bat like your dad?”

“Both.”

“Oh yes, you do? What’s your highest score? Maximum runs you’ve scored?”

Arjun replied . “Eight.”

“That’s fine. That’s good for a five-year-old. How did you score that 8? You hit boundaries or singles?”

“Fours,” Arjun answered quickly.

“And what is your favourite shot? The square cut, the pull and the cover drive?”

Things were getting technical for the people in the room, let alone a five-year-old who had yet to come to terms with the Australian accent.

“Six,” was Arjun’s monosyllabic answer.

“Okay, so it doesn’t matter how long you hit a six. Good!”

The media persons were taking too long to appear and Chappell and Arjun were running out of topics of chat, they decided it was time to say goodbye.

“He is a sharp guy, thinks much before speaking,” said Chappell. He then recalled that the first certified game of any sorts that he had played was at the age of 10.

As the India team practiced with the local provincial side at the Crusaders Cricket Club, a cricket match was going on outside the boundary line. Arjun Tendulkar, a young lad at 6, was the centre of all the attention when he was called to play by a group of local children.

His father Sachin relaxing in the dressing room, his mother Anjali and sister Sara watching him from above, Arjun Tendulkar, in a dark blue T-shirt with his dad’s number 10, waited for his turn to be selected in one of the teams and subsequently quickly placed himself, at what can be first slip (his father position), behind a huge drum that they used as a wicket.

As the game started, you could see Arjun Tendulkar screaming loudly. “Hey, get ready. Don’t look here and there, concentrate on the game,” Arjun screamed at the captain of his team, who was keeping wickets. His captain’s name was Sachin, son of a Durban businessman.

Then he was seen shouting out the scores. “Zero for one, six for two.” And finally, it was his turn to bat. A left-handed batsman unlike his dad, with the bat almost of his size reaching up to his chest, he played the first ball wildly, was bowled. “Let give him another chance,” said the one of the bigger boys of the group. Another ball, another swing, and he got out again.

He then walks around for a while, itching to get into the action. What did he do? “I am bowling now,” he said, taking the ball from the captain. The first ball reached the batsman on the fourth bounce, and so did the rest of balls in the over. He finally ran back to his mother, disappointed but clearly showing his passion for the game.