'New experience as I have not actually gone and watched him play'

MUMBAI: On Sunday, left-arm fast-bowling all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. It also made him and his father, legendary India batter, Sachin Tendulkar become the first father-son pair to have featured in the tournament.

Now, in a video posted by the IPL Twitter handle, Sachin revealed that he had never watched his son Arjun play in a competitive cricket match. "This was a new experience for me because till now, I have not actually gone and watched him play. I just wanted him to have that freedom to go out and express himself whatever he wanted to do."

"And also I sat in the dressing room because I didn't want him to let him move away from his plans and start looking at the mega screen here and suddenly realised that I was watching there. I was inside."

Sachin had played for Mumbai in the IPL, scoring 2334 runs in 78 matches from 2008 to 2013. He also captained Mumbai in 51 matches, with his record reading as 30 victories and 21 defeats. "It's a different feeling because 2008 was the first season for me and 16 years down the line, he plays for the same team. Not bad," he added.

Arjun ended the game with figures of 0/17 in his two overs. He wasn't required to bat as Mumbai won the match by five wickets. "It was a great moment, special to play for them I have supported since 2008, and it was very nice to get the cap from the captain of MI and the Indian team," said Arjun.

Mumbai's next game in IPL 2023 will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.