Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said that the franchise picked Arjun Tendulkar solely based on his skills.
Arjun, the son of former cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, was bought by Mumbai Indians at his base price of Rs 20 Lakh in the IPL 2021 Auction in Chennai on Thursday.
The former Sri Lankan skipper said that the stint with MI will be a learning process for the 21-year-old left-arm medium pacer.
“We’ve looked at it purely on a skill basis. I mean, there is going to be a big tag on his head because of Sachin. But, luckily, he’s a bowler, not a batsman. So I think Sachin will be very proud if he could bowl like Arjun,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Jayawardene as saying.
“I think it’s going to be a learning process for Arjun. He just started playing for Mumbai, and now the franchise. He will learn the ropes; he will evolve. He’s still young. A very focused young man,” he further said.
“We have to give him time and hopefully not put a lot of pressure on him either. Just let him evolve and work his way up, and that’s what we’re there to help him to do,” Jayawardene added.
Arjun was the last player to be bought in the IPL 2021 Auctions, in addition to that he was also a net bowler for MI during IPL 2020.
“I have spent a lot of time in the nets, trying to teach him some tricks of the trade, he is a hardworking kid, he is keen on learning, it is an exciting part,” said Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan during a virtual press conference.
“The added pressure of being Sachin Tendulkar’s son will always be on him, it is something he needs to live with, the environment of the team will help him. It will help him become a good cricketer, how many times a youngster gets picked in the auction and everyone is talking about him, he has to prove himself and he has to show everyone he has the goods,” he added.
