'I've seen him around but I hadn't really...': Shane Watson's take on Arjun Tendulkar

Delhi Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson recently appeared on The Grade Cricketer podcast and opened on DC’s tough campaign in the Indian Premier League 2023. The Aussie legend also shed his thoughts on the recent arrival of Mumbai Indians’ Arjun Tendulkar in the marquee T20 league. The 23-year-old left-handed pacer, son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, made his debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in match 22 of IPL 2023, before registering his first wicket in the next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

While Arjun became the first Tendulkar to register an IPL wicket, it came with the significant pressure of being the son of Sachin Tendulkar. Speaking on The Grade Cricketer, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson revealed he saw Arjun bowl properly only after his debut and was impressed with it. Watson also took note of the pressure on the youngster to follow in his father’s footsteps.

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"Look I've seen him around but I hadn't really seen him bowl before until the first two games that he has played. It's a super cool thing for him to be able to play with the expectations of being Sachin Tendulkar's son here. Like in India obviously Sachin is a demigod really. The pressure that has been on Arjun Tendulkar to try and follow in his dad's footsteps even though in different ways - as a left-arm fast bowler - is huge credit to him just to be able to take it on knowing the pressure that is going to be on him,” said Watson.

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"Since the day he was born..."

Arjun’s maiden IPL wicket followed an emotional response by Sachin, while the team awarded him with a special badge in the dressing room. MI were on a two-match losing streak before Arjun was handed his debut cap. He has been a part of the Mumbai Indians setup as a player for several seasons now but was brought into the XI for the first time against KKR.

“The two games he has come in, Mumbai have won as well which has also helped. I haven't seen a lot of him apart from just being him around the MI dugout for the last couple of years but credit to be. Because since the day he was born and worked his way through the ranks as a cricketer, the pressure that he would have had to experience is something you can't imagine. To come out and do very nicely in his first couple of games is very impressive,” said Watson.