Living up to Tendulkar’s surname is not easy but Mumbai Indians should trust Arjun

Mumbai Indians seem reluctant to let Arjun Tendulkar bowl his full quota of four overs in the four matches he has played till now.

Living up to Tendulkar’s surname is not easy but Mumbai Indians should trust Arjun

It is hard living up to a famous surname. In a week when Papa Sachin Tendulkar grabbed headlines by celebrating his 50th birthday on Tuesday, son Arjun is struggling to live up to the hype created in the Indian Premier League. First things first, it is impossible to live up to any legend’s status if you are the second-generation athlete. This has been seen in many different sports, from hockey to tennis and cricket.

Dhyan Chand was a wizard with a hockey stick, part of folklore when he won Olympic hockey gold medals for India. Old timers have placed on record even Adolf Hitler’s admiration for legend Dhyan Chand, whose goal-scoring capabilities on grass were wonderful in the Olympics. Those were the days when hockey was played on natural grass and skill was important.

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Unfortunately, his son Ashok Kumar Dhyan Chand could never live up to the hype. He did play for India but there is no comparison between the father and son. Ashok Kumar was, of course, part of the Indian team which won the hockey World Cup in 1975 but there was no way you could compare the two players. It was not Ashok’s fault the yardstick being used was his father, a legend who could beat any rival defence.

Arjun Tendulkar is not the first of this kind

Coming to cricket, specifically, this is not the first instance when a second-generation cricketer has been in the news. Today Sunil Gavaskar holds us in thrall, waxing eloquently on television. When SMG used his batting skills despite being short in height to take on the West Indies speed merchants minus a helmet, people admired his guts. Sunny, as he was known those days, wore a floppy hat. Much later, he wore a skull cap and had the audacity to hook fearsome fast bowlers like the late Malcolm Marshall. But then, there could be only one SMG.

Son Rohan Gavaskar, a left-hander, was not a bad cricketer. He was Southpaw, who played in the middle order and figured in 10 ODIs. He was also part of the 2010 IPL season but the son could never emulate his father. Rohan has created a name for himself in other areas related to work but when comparisons are made between the Dad and son, people will invariably talk of SMG, or Sunny G, as Murali Kartik refers him to.

Related: PBKS owner Preity Zinta expresses concerns over Arjun Tendulkar’s conceding 31 runs in an over

Indian cricket has seen another dashing opener in K.Srikkanth shred the fast bowlers. Well before Viru Sehwag became the Indian master blaster and Yuvraj Singh became famous for smashing sixes and bowling with an unorthodox action, Srikkanth was dynamite. His strength was batting with disdain, and also bowling occasionally. He once even took five wickets in an ODI in Vizag.

This generation may not know Lala Amarnath, a shrewd cricketer and Punjabi by nature, whose comments on air were loud. However, his son Mohinder Amarnath was a brilliant cricketer and part of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad. Jimmy, as Mohinder was known, was the quintessential all-rounder who made a mark with his slow medium pace and fearless batting. Jimmy was a compulsive hooker and his square-on stance to take on the West Indies pace battery won him plenty of applause.

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Srikkanth was a super hit opener and Aussie TV commentators like the late Richie Benaud would go gaga over the opener’s free hitting. Yet, if Cheeka, as K.Srikkanth was known, was the master blaster, his son Aditya never made it big in Indian cricket.

This is the same problem for Arjun Tendulkar. He has played junior cricket for Mumbai and now represents Goa in Ranji Trophy. To be drafted into the Mumbai Indians side is more due to the famous surname. If Dad Sachin was a master-class in batting, and a delight, Arjun shaping up as a bowler may have been forced.

That he is a Southpaw, gave rise to hope. However, after his debut this season in the IPL, Arjun has looked raw. The hype created has been artificial. He has been with Mumbai Indians since 2021 and his auction price rose from Rs 20 lakhs to Rs 30 lakhs. However, the rise in salary has not been matched by performance or speed in bowling.

Mumbai Indians should put Arjun in tough situations

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Mumbai Indians seem reluctant to let Arjun Tendulkar bowl his full quota of four overs in the four matches he has played till now. There is no way you can groom a fast bowler unless he gets hit. Fast bowling or spin bowling in the IPL requires guile and a large heart. Maybe, Arjun has been used sparingly, or under-bowled. He does open and completes his first two overs. But to get smacked in one match, where one over cost 31 runs against the Punjab side saw him face tons of criticism.

Someone like Preity Zinta also felt the boy (Arjun) should not be trolled on social media. Who is at fault, Arjun or those who have hyped him? Arjun bowls at an average of 125kmph or so. It’s not fast by any standard. The way Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm fast bowler has been using the yorker and breaking the stumps valued at approx Rs 15 lakhs each has been the talk of town. Arjun has not done anything like that in IPL 2023. He has to learn how to bowl in the death overs as well.

Arjun is under glare, he is under scrutiny. Prying eyes see a “Tendulkar” in him. Given the number of coaches and support staff with the Mumbai team, grooming the second-generation champion will not be easy. Fast bowling is make or break. Just that the format of the IPL is cruel. Here is hoping Arjun can survive the pressure!

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