Being the offspring of a cricket legend is hard but Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun is quietly starting to make his mark -- albeit with the ball not the bat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Last month the 23-year-old left-arm fast bowler played for the first time in an IPL match -- for his dad's old outfit Mumbai Indians -- and returned solid if not spectacular figures of 0-17.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For context, by the time his dad was the same age he was captain of India, had 10 Test centuries -- his first aged only 17 -- and was on his way to achieving god-like status at home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sachin went on to become the top-scoring Test batsman of all time and when he retired in 2013 it was a national tragedy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Indian media and fans are salivating at the idea of another Tendulkar wearing the Indian colours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Arjun still has a long way to go to prove that he has the ability to play regularly in the IPL, never mind for his country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
And with a father like his, the weight of expectation is huge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Just being a Tendulkar will turn the spotlight on you," veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Along with that comes a whole world of pressure, you can't escape.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"So that's what young Arjun has lived through all his life. The expectations multiply and the scrutiny will get harsher and harsher."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Arjun was signed by Mumbai Indians in 2021 but the recent home match against Kolkata in front of a packed, ecstatic crowd was the first time he had played.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
When captain Rohit Sharma told him to bowl it was such a big moment that Sachin was in tears, according to former West Indies cricketer and commentator Ian Bishop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was in the next game that Arjun made his mark.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He took his debut wicket -- a feat even his father couldn't achieve during his IPL career -- and defended 20 runs in the final over. That spoke of his nerve as much as his ability.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A nervous Sachin watched his son's last-over heroics and later tweeted: "And finally a Tendulkar has an IPL wicket!"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Working on pace<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n The euphoria was soon forgotten, however, when in Mumbai's next match he was smashed for 31 runs in an over, with social media full of accusations of nepotism.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Arjun played one more match and took one more wicket before being benched.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Rohit admitted the decision was tough but said it was more about selecting a side to suit the conditions, rather than Arjun's performance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n So how good is he?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n Standing at over six feet (1.83 metres) tall, the youngster made his T20 debut for a domestic team in Mumbai in 2021, but failed to do enough to nail down a place in the team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n He shifted to Goa in the search for regular action and played seven first-class matches for them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Arjun can swing the ball off the pitch but lacks speed, with his fastest deliveries coming at just about 130 kph (80 mph). The quickest bowlers are in the 145-160 kph range.<\/p>\r\n\r\n Mumbai bowling coach Shane Bond said that "we will work on increasing his pace".<\/p>\r\n\r\n Arjun spoke recently about his relationship with his famous father, saying that they "talk a lot about cricket".<\/p>\r\n\r\n "We talk tactics and plans," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n