Legacies can be hard to endure. Nepotism is a hot topic in India, particularly in this decade, and despite exhibiting an apparent facade of privilege, living up to a family legacy can be hard work. If you’re a descendant of the greatest batsman of all time, it is difficult to live up to the expectations of the public. And if you’re the heir of a cricketing god in your country, it’s well-nigh impossible. Nevertheless, Arjun Tendulkar has set out to accomplish what his father never could. Back in 1987, an aspiring 14-year-old fast bowler by the name of Sachin Tendulkar was given a shake of the head by Dennis Lillee at the MRF pace academy, citing the reason that his height and his body type were ill-suited for fast bowling. Arjun Tendulkar, his second-born child, 5’10’' and still growing, certainly has the prerequisite body type for it and is well on his way to becoming the left-arm pacer that India has struggled to find since the retirement of Zaheer Khan in 2014. A tall lanky lad in his teens, Arjun has had the best of resources and guidance to learn fast bowling, and in the initial phase of his career, he has made full use of his opportunities by developing a curved run-up and a genuine outswinger’s action. He is capable of getting the ball to swing late and at a significant pace for his age. He is also a capable lower-middle-order batsman who can use the long handle, but it is his second priority after fast-bowling. Arjun has been closely working on his bowling action with Atul Gaikwad, coach and an expert in the biomechanics and aerodynamics of fast bowling. Arjun had to tweak his action after a couple of stress fractures which took almost to a year to heal in 2016-17. Gaikwad’s knowledge has been put to good use in the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and he has been of great help to Arjun in the nascent phase of his cricket career. Other than Gaikwad, Arjun has also trained with his father’s teammate Subroto Banerjee, who has been credited by Indian Test bowler Umesh Yadav and Vidarbha spearhead Rajneesh Gurbani. The teenager has regularly bowled in the nets to the Indian team, which has given him loads of exposure against the best in the country. He has also been in the news for bowling to the Indian women’s team in preparation for the World Cup final at Lord’s in 2016. More recently, he made news for the right reasons when he gave one of England’s best batsmen, Jonny Bairstow, an injury scare as a Yorker from Arjun speared into his toe ahead of the South Africa Tests. As Rahul Dravid is away with the India A team in England, Arjun has worked with WV Raman, who is India’s interim coach for the tour of Sri Lanka. Arjun attended an NCA residential camp in Dharamsala and impressed with his pace and accuracy during the academy games in Himachal Pradesh. His performances in Mumbai's age-group cricket have also made him shoot through the ranks as he continues to improve his pace and skillset every day. In his last competitive tournament for assessment, Arjun claimed a staggering 19 wickets in just 5 games for Mumbai Under-19 in the 2017-18 Cooch Behar Trophy to further strengthen his resume.
