Want Arjun to have freedom to fall in love with cricket: Sachin Tendulkar on son's career

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar has opened up on why he doesn't go to see matches of Arjun, saying he wants his son to have the freedom of falling in love with the game. Arjun Tendulkar is currently a part of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad and he was even picked up by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction for Rs 30 lakh.

"Fathers and mothers, when they watch their children play, they get stressed and that's why I don't go and watch Arjun, because I want him to have that freedom to fall in love with cricket - to stay focused on what he wants to do, I don't go and watch him play," said Sachin during an episode of 'In-Depth with Graham'. "He has to stay focused on the game. Like I didn't like anyone watching me. Even if I go and watch his games, I'm hiding somewhere. He doesn't know that I'm there, and nobody knows, neither does his coach, or anyone," he added.

Further talking about Arjun, Sachin said: "Neither of us forced Arjun to start playing cricket, he was into football, and then he loved playing chess. Cricket happened later on in his life." Tendulkar also revealed the special gift Virat Kohli gave to him after Master Blaster's farewell Test in 2013 against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium and why he chose to return the gift.

"Oh, I still remember it. I had just returned to the change room and I was in tears. Till then, I knew that yes, I am going to retire but when that ball was done, I said to myself... 'Ok, that's it. Never ever in your life, you will walk out on the field as an international player for India'. So I was sitting in one corner alone with a towel on my head and wiping tears. I was really emotional and couldn't control my tears. Virat came to me at that time, and he gave me the sacred thread that his father had given him," revealed Sachin. "I kept that for a while and returned it to him... told him it is priceless. This has to stay with you. This is yours and no one else's. You should have it till your last breath. And I gave it back to him. So that was an emotional moment... something that will always be with me in my memory forever," he added.

Over the years, Tendulkar has forged his name in history as the 'greatest batter of all time' and he also got nicknamed as the 'Master Blaster'. Tendulkar, bid adieu to international cricket in 2013 and to date, he remains the highest run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs. He also has the record for registering most international centuries.

In 2019, Tendulkar became the sixth Indian to get inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. The 46-year-old made his debut for India at the age of 16 and immediately became the country's favourite cricketer. He aggregated 34,357 runs across formats, which is 6,000 runs ahead of the second-placed former Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara.

The Master Blaster has also served as a mentor to the Mumbai Indians that competes in the Indian Premier League.