Is Arjun Tendulkar Also a Product of Nepotism?
Although I have been a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar, I also used to believe that Arjun Tendulkar is a product of nepotism, until he scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut.
Tendulkar’s son Arjun scored a memorable century on his debut for Goa. He recently moved to Goa and is now playing for Goa in the first-class circuit after not getting many chances in the mighty Mumbai circle. Arjun equaled his father Tendulkar’s feat by scoring a brilliant innings on his first-class debut.
Arjun was an average cricketer but he always had the hunger to better himself. He was trolled a lot when Mumbai Indians bought him in the 2021 IPL auction. While he may not get a chance to lead his franchise, he might get a chance to learn from the best of the game. But he has looked like a better player of late as he bowled decently in the Vijay Hazare Trophy finale and also scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut.
Had he played in the Mumbai Ranji team and the India U19 team only because of Sachin’s influence, then we could have easily tagged him as a product of nepotism. But Sachin Tendulkar never does that, instead he just created a platform to improve his game and Arjun is doing that.
The reason behind this is Yograj, father of veteran cricketer Yuvraj Singh. He trained Tendulkar’s son before his debut in the domestic arena. Yograj Singh trained Arjun for only 15 days after Sachin Tendulkar’s request.
Yograj played a major role in the success of his son, Yuvi, and was considered one of the best coaches in the sport.
Yograj revealed that Arjun’s two-week stay in Chandigarh with the former cricketer was nothing but a boot camp-like experience for Tendulkar’s son. After waking up at 5 in the morning, Arjun used to go for a two-hour run, which was followed by a gym session, where he did not lift heavy weights. Yograj advises Arjun to do bodyweight exercises which can reduce the chances of injury.
Thirty-four years after legendary batsman Tendulkar registered his maiden century, his son Arjun achieved the same feat in Ranji Trophy. Goa’s Arjun scored 120 off 207 balls at the Goa Cricket Association Academy Ground in Porvorim.
Considering his left-arm bowling, if he improves his batting, he will turn out to be a good all-rounder in the future.
