India and Mumbai Indians (MI) legend Sachin Tendulkar was full of emotions as his son Arjun Tendulkar made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 16 at the Wankhede Stadium in the ongoing IPL 2023.
Arjun was first bought by Mumbai Indians at the IPL 2021 auction for Rs. 20 lakhs and went for Rs. 30 lahks in 2022, with Gujarat Titans being the only other team making a bid for him. The 23-year-old was retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the mini-auction in December last year.
The youngster had made his domestic T20 debut for Mumbai in 2021 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and picked one for 34 in three overs. However, he moved to Goa for the 2022-23 domestic season and scored a hundred on his Ranji Trophy debut against Rajasthan.
He also had a good outing for Goa in limited-overs cricket as he was the team’s joint-leading wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with eight wickets in seven matches at an average of 32.37. He took 0 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 5.69 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
He received his cap from MI regular captain Rohit Sharma, who is not playing this encounter. With this, Arjun Tendulkar and Sachin Tendulkar became the first father-son duo to play in the Indian Premier League.
Till Now I Have Not Actually Gone And Watched Him Play: Sachin Tendulkar On Watching Son Arjun Play For First Time
Sachin Tendulkar was present in the MI dugout as Arjun bowled a couple of overs, but it was a dream come true moment for him and his family. Even his sister Sara Tendulkar was present in the stadium to cheer for him.
Speaking about getting his maiden IPL cap, Arjun said, “It was a great moment. It is always special to play for the team I have supported since 2008. It was very nice to get the cap from the captain of MI and the Indian team.”
Sachin said that this was the first time he saw Arjun play in front of him as he has always wanted to play with freedom and without any baggage.
“This was a new experience for me because till now I have not actually gone and watched him play. I just wanted him to have the freedom to go out and express himself and do whatever he wanted to do,” he said.
“Today also, I sat in the dressing room because I didn’t want him to let him move away from his plans and start looking at the mega screen here and suddenly realise that I was watching there. I was inside. It is a different feeling because 2008 was the first season for me and 16 years down the line, he plays for the same team. Not bad!,” the senior Tendulkar further added.
Here is the video:
Arjun Tendulkar made his IPL debut for @mipaltan on Sunday as the legendary @sachin_rt watched his son from the confines of the dressing room ????
Here is the father-son duo expressing their emotions after what was a proud moment for the Tendulkar household?? – By @28anand pic.twitter.com/Lb6isgA6eH
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 17, 2023