‘Arjun has to do a lot more to impress Sachin Tendulkar’

Arjun, the son of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, took a five-for in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy on Wednesday; Subroto Banerjee, one of his first coaches, believes the youngster shouldn’t rest on his laurels as that won’t satisfy his father.

Arjun Tendulkar was called in to bowl to the Indian team before the New Zealand series.

Carrying a legacy isn’t easy, but Arjun Tendulkar is handling it fine.

The left-handed all-rounder, son of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, first caught media attention when he slammed his debut ton in the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Under-14 selection trials in 2012. Back then, he was still cutting his teeth.  But there has been a metamorphosis in these five years.

Today, the 18-year-old Arjun is more noted for his seam bowling. On Wednesday, the junior Tendulkar picked up five wickets (5/95) in the last day’s play between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy. 

READ: When Tendulkar's yorker hurt Bairstow

So where does his cricket stand at the moment? Former India speedster and Sachin’s old friend, Subroto Banerjee, who fine-tuned Arjun’s basics, believes “he is on the right track”.

“Arjun has worked hard for whatever he is today. He deserves every bit of this performance. I have seen many youngsters in Mumbai and all over the country, but he stands out because he used to train from morning till evening. Even after the nets, when he went home, he keeps thinking about his game and at times, practise as well,” Banerjee, who is currently coaching at the Vidarbha Cricket Association, told Sportstar .

READ: Arjun Tendulkar bowls at nets to Indian batsmen

“I was with him till last year (from 2014), but we talk everyday. Whenever he needs me, I am always there. But he also needs to be independent,” added Banerjee.  “He is good with both bat and ball, you will see him score big runs in the future," he said, not wanting to label his ward as a specialist bowler.

But the road ahead will be tortuous. “Sachin and I talk about his progress. He is a demanding person and he wouldn’t be easily happy with what Arjun does. He has to do a lot more to make his father happy,” said Banerjee.