IPL 2023: Why Sachin Tendulkar sat in the dressing room, not dugout, during son Arjun's MI debut against KKR?
By PTI News | First Published Apr 17, 2023, 5:32 PM ISTIPL 2023: Arjun Tendulkar debuted for Mumbai Indians on Sunday against Kolkata Knight Riders. However, his father, Sachin, sat in the dressing room instead of the dugout, and here's why.
Legendary former Indian Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar sat in the dressing room instead of the team dugout as he didn't want his son Arjun to deviate from his plans on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for former record five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) against fellow former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The 23-year-old left-arm seamer had figures of 0/17 in two overs with six dot balls after stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav handed him the new ball on Sunday. "It was a great moment. A special one to play for the team that I supported since 2008, and it was nice to get the cap from the captain of MI and Indian team," Arjun, who plays first-class cricket for Goa, told IPLT20.com.
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For the legendary father, it was the first time he watched his son play a competitive game. "This was a new experience for me because I am yet to go and watch him play. I wanted him to have the freedom to go out, express himself, and do whatever he wanted to," Tendulkar said after MI's seven-wicket win against KKR on Sunday.
However, during the initial part of KKR's innings, Tendulkar didn't sit outside the boundary line in the dugout, as it could have made Arjun conscious. "Today also, I sat in the dressing room as I didn't want him to move away from his plans and start looking at the mega screen and suddenly realised that I was watching him, so I was inside," he remarked.
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It was an emotional journey for the father, as he recollected his 16-year association with the franchise -- six years as a player and the last ten as a 'Mentor'. "Different feeling because 2008 was the first season for me, and 16 years down the line, he plays for the same team, not bad," Tendulkar concluded.
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