Sachin Tendulkar was the very first captain of the Mumbai Indians. In the inaugural edition in 2008, Sachin was the icon player as well. His son Arjun was 8 years old back then. As a kid, he would come to the ground and cheer and clap for his father and his team. After the match, the veteran cricketer would sometimes take his son out onto the ground.
Sachin played 78 matches for Mumbai Indians between 2008 and 2013 and scored 2334 runs at an average of 34.84. He also hit one century and 13 half-centuries during his six-season stay at MI. He was part of the first IPL title win for the blue brigade in 2013. On Sunday, the Wankhede stadium erupted in joy. Sachin was not on the field, but in the MI dugout and his son Arjun was handed a debut IPL cap by MI and India captain Rohit Sharma.
Emotions were high in the MI camp, especially for father Sachin who was visibly proud and was seen clapping and cheering for his 23-year-old son Arjun who was making his way to the middle and opening the bowling attack for the Mumbai Indians vs KKR.
“It was a new experience for me as till now I have not gone and watched him (Arjun) play.
I just wanted him to have the freedom to go out and express himself and do what he wanted to do. Today also I sat in the dressing room because I didn’t want him to move away from his plans and start looking at the mega screen here and suddenly realise I was watching there,” Sachin was quoted as saying in a video posted by the Mumbai Indians.
Opening the bowling for MI on Sunday vs KKR, the left-arm seamer conceded 17 runs in two overs. He couldn’t take a wicket, but did trouble the KKR batters initially.
“It was a great moment, it is a special moment to play for the team I have supported since 2008.
It was very nice to get the cap from the captain of MI and Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma,” Arjun said. ‘Arjun, today you have…’: Sachin Tendulkar’s priceless message for son after his IPL debut in MI’s win; Sara emotional. In 2021, Arjun Tendulkar was picked by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction for a base price of INR 20 lakh.
A year later, at the mega auction before the 2022 season.
Arjun saw interest from Gujarat Titans, but MI shelled out INR 30 lakhs to rope him back again. Arjun waited another entire season before on Sunday, April 18 of 2023, he made his long-awaited IPL debut for Mumbai in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.
And although Arjun only bowled a few overs on his debut, it indeed was a winning start to his IPL career as MI beat KKR by six wickets. After the game, Arjun’s father Sachin Tendulkar left a “passionate” two-part message for his son on Twitter.
With Mumbai opting to bowl first in the KKR tie, Arjun was given the big responsibility of opening the attack.
With the new ball, the 23-year-old conceded only 5 runs in first over before Venkatesh Iyer, who eventually had ended with a record ton in KKR’s innings, took on the left-arm pacer to smash a boundary and a six. Arjun finished with figures of 0/23 in the match and wasn’t recalled to complete his quota.
He also did not get an opportunity to bat.
After the match, Sachin, who has long been associated with Mumbai Indians, as player previously and now as a mentor, took to Twitter to react on his son Arjun’s IPL debut and also congratulated him on the start of his new journey in cricket.
Later daughter Sara too dropped an emotional reaction on Sachin’s Instagram post.
“Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back,” he said. “You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best!”