With first century, Arjun Tendulkar makes his mark

Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun, 12, determined to make amends for missing out on selection for a tournament held earlier, hit his maiden century in the Mumbai Cricket Association's Under-14 selection trials held at the Cross Maidan on Saturday. Arjun made 124 to help Khar Gymkhana beat Goregaon Centre by an innings and 21 runs and enter the final of the tournament.

The junior Tendulkar had also scored 64 in the previous game held last weekend during this MCA summer vacation tournament that also serves as selection trials to the U-14 team. According to Khar Gymkhana coach Rajesh Sanil, Arjun was disappointed that he was not included in the team that played the Varroc Cup earlier.

Knock of determination

"He seemed very stubborn and determined to do well in this tournament. Today he batted brilliantly. He has developed a variety of shots and is rather fearless in his stroke-play. He has played some lovely shots in this tournament so far," said the coach about his famous ward.

Arjun is a south paw and opens the batting for his school and also bowls left-arm medium pace. His talent has been rated as moderate in the cricket maidans of Mumbai till date. "This is a big achievement for him and this innings will give him confidence for the future. But it is very important to give him his space and not put pressure on him," the coach said.

This is a sentiment shared by his father too.

A day after he scored his 100th international century against Bangladesh in March, Tendulkar, while speaking about the support he received from his family, said that Arjun too had fallen in love with the sport. "Right now, he is madly in love with cricket," Tendulkar had said.

... contd.

ALSO READ

IPL 2013: It's going to be tough game against Punjab, says Daniel Vettori

IPL 2013: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid fashion Rajasthan Royals' win

IPL 2013: A forgettable 'hat-trick' for Kieron Pollard

Conditions in England will assist my style of bowling, says Bhuvneshwar Kumar