Sachin Tendulkar wants to make sure his son Arjun has all the freedom to pursue his cricket career, without the added baggage of his surname.
The 18-year-old Arjun is a budding bowling all-rounder and has impressed at the junior level. “He’s trying. Like my father gave me freedom, I’m giving him freedom. Whatever he wants to be in life, he has to give his best,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying by The Times of India at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida.
Arjun was in the news recently for his 24-ball 48 and 4 wickets in a T20 match for Cricket Club of India against a local team at the Bradman Oval, Australia, earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, the teen is drawing a lot of media attention and has often been touted as a future India international. However, his father wants him to focus only on the game and his passion.
“Comparisons would happen; if they want to do it, they will. But what I’ve learned from my father is that whatever work you’ve got to do, keep your focus on that. Rest of the things will continue to happen. Ups and downs are part and parcel of life. That’ll happen as long as you stay passionate. Then, you will be in a position to overcome those obstacles. You’ll push yourselves.
“And I’ve tried to do that. My experience was really good, the way my father gave me freedom, responsibility came alongside that freedom. So that is what I am trying to do,” the report quoted him as saying.
When asked if he sees the next Sachin in him, he replied, “No, he should be “Arjun”. There shouldn’t be any comparison.”
On the subject of comparisons, Tendulkar also said that the current Indian team should not be compared with the earlier ones.
“I don’t like comparing teams. Because when we start comparing, we kind of subconsciously take away something from someone. They all have contributed in their own ways and to get to this level, all the players have sacrificed and worked hard. So I don’t like taking away something from someone. I would rather say that whatever the team is, if we are doing well right now, we should stay with them and appreciate it.
“If they are not doing well, then we should encourage them, and support them. So, that is how I look at it. There are some individuals who show exuberance while others have aggression inside them. It does not mean that if someone doesn’t showcase their aggression, they want to win less. They all want to win. Some players have a different body language; some are different from the inside. Eventually, what matters is that everyone wants to win. And that is what we would discuss in the dressing room, that how would we win the match,” he added.
Read full interview here