Let Arjun Tendulkar play his own cricket and do not compare him with his father: Kapil Dev
India Today
Arjun Tendulkar is yet to make his debut for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his U19 team back in 2018 against Sri Lanka.
Former World Cup-winning Indian skipper Kapil Dev urged the fans to not put pressure on Arjun Tendulkar due to the latter’s association with his father, Sachin. Back in 2018, Arjun made his U19 debut in a first-class match against Sri Lanka, but didn’t play in the U19 World Cup in 2020 in South Africa.
Thereafter, he went on to play a couple of T20s for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, after which he was picked to represent Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the bowling all-rounder is yet to make his debut in the cash-rich IPL.
Kapil Dev, one of India’s greatest all-rounders, reckoned that Arjun should be allowed to play with a free mind.
"Why is everyone talking about him? Because he is Sachin Tendulkar's son. Let him play his own cricket and do not compare him with Sachin. To have a Tendulkar name has perks and disadvantages as well. Don Bradman's son changed his name because he could not soak up that kind of pressure. He removed the surname Bradman because everyone expected him to turn out like his father," Kapil said on Uncut.
"Don't put pressure on Arjun. He is a young boy. Who are we to say anything to him when he has the great Sachin as his father? But I would still just like to tell him one thing Go and enjoy yourself. No need to prove anything. If you can become even 50 percent like your father there is nothing better. When the name Tendulkar comes up, our expectations rise because Sachin was such a great," he added.
In two T20 matches, Arjun picked up two wickets at an economy rate of 9.57. Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene, the MI head coach, said that Arjun needs to work on certain aspects of his game to make his debut for the five-time IPL champions.
