Arjun Tendulkar emulates his dad, hits ton on Ranji debut
The 23-year-old made 120 as Goa reached 493/8 at close on the second day of their Ranji match against Rajasthan.
Arjun Tendulkar quit Mumbai and moved to Goa at the start of the season in search of regular playing opportunities. On Wednesday, his decision was vindicated when he scored his maiden first-class century on his Ranji Trophy debut against Rajasthan to emulate his father Sachin Tendulkar, who had scored a ton on his Ranji debut against Gujarat 34 years ago at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
Arjun walked in with Goa at 201 for five and went on to score 120 from 207 balls with the help of 16 fours and two sixes. He stitched a 221-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Suyash Prabhudessai, who was eventually dismissed on 212, as Goa reached 493/8 at stumps on day two.
“I always had belief in my ability. I knew that once I'm set, I need to cash on it and get the big runs. I thank to GCA to giving me an opportunity. My next target is to play each game and each ball on its merit,” the 23-year-old said while speaking to the local media at Goa Cricket Association Academy Ground in Porvorim.
Goa coach Mansur Ali Khan is impressed by Arjun’s attitude and calls him a gritty cricketer who “doesn’t give up easily.”
“He is following the footsteps of his father. Whatever I have seen of international cricketers, they always put in those hard yards, give a bit extra. I see the same thing with Arjun. During the camp before the Ranji Trophy, he used to face 250 balls in the nets. The effort he put in reflected in his innings today. A lot of good things will come his way, he is very focussed youngster,” said Khan, who played for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and has also worked at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) under Rahul Dravid.
Prashant Shetty, who is Arjun’s personal coach and also Goa’s batting coach, is thrilled with the way his ward is shaping up. “The thrill is high because I have seen the ups and downs…the frustrating times he had gone through when he didn’t get a chance to play for Mumbai. That he decided to switch to a different state and is now performing makes me really happy. But then you start thinking of those bad days as well. The struggle was not easy,” said Shetty, who also guided Arjun during his younger days at MIG Academy in Bandra.
Khan and Shetty were of the opinion that the pressure of cricket's iconic surname doesn’t bother him. “He doesn’t show any pressure of the Tendulkar surname. He just wants to play cricket. Obviously, people will talk about him being Sachin Tendulkar’s son, make noise about it but he isn’t bothered,” said Khan, who added that Mumbai’s 'khadoos' attitude that he has brought with him is rubbing on the Goa players as well. Arjun was retained by Mumbai Indians for the 2023 season.
Shetty, who has seen him since childhood, vouched for Arjun's passion for the game. “Arjun’s work ethic is so good that he just wants to play. That takes out the pressure. The only thing he keeps thinking about is working on his skills and performing on the field. He doesn’t think too much about people talking about his surname. He wants to be in the nets all the time, working on his batting. He never skips his gym sessions. He is reaping the benefits of the efforts he has put in over the years. This is just the beginning,” he said.
Arjun, who came in to bat late on Day 1, curbed his attacking instincts and saw off the second new ball with Prabhudessai. The duo then helped Goa to a position of strength.
“(On Tuesday) my first target was to face most of the balls as possible. Suyash was batting on 80 so my job was to protect him. Today, the approach was to just follow the basics. Give the first hour to the bowler and after we saw out the initial phase, we capitalised on it,” said Arjun.
For Mumbai, Arjun played just two T20 matches against Haryana and Puducherry in the 2020-21 season. He was included in the Ranji Trophy squad last season for the group stages but didn't get a game. Later, he was dropped from the squad for the knockouts after which he decided to try his luck elsewhere.
“Getting maximum game time on the ground is important for Arjun at this juncture of his career. We believe his move to Goa will improve the probability of him featuring in more competitive matches. He is embarking on a new phase of his cricketing career,” SRT Sports Management had said in a statement when Arjun decided to move on from Mumbai.
While he didn’t get many opportunities with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy for Goa, he did well with the ball. Arjun took 10 wickets in the Mushtaq Ali — second best for Goa in the tournament and was their joint-top wicket taker with eight scalps in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.