Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun Tendulkar, a budding cricketer being a left-arm fast bowling all-rounder for the cricketing powerhouse in Mumbai, wants to leave his hometown and play for a much-smaller state Goa in the upcoming Indian domestic cricket season.
The young Arjun Tendulkar has reportedly applied for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) which he seeks from the Mumbai Cricket Association, following which he will be able to represent Goa Cricket Association without any hassles.
It has also been reported that Arjun Tendulkar is already lined up to take part in the pre-season white-ball trial matches for Goa.
Arjun Tendulkar is a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians and has also played two T20 matches for Mumbai during the 2020-21 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, appearing in games against Haryana and Puducherry.
Not being able to get the desired amount of match time is being stated as the primary reason for Arjun Tendulkar to be seeking to move away from his home state and play for Goa, which carries far less limelight and pressure compared to the 41-time Ranji champions Mumbai.
SRT Sports Management informed in a press release,
”Getting maximum game time on the ground is important for Arjun at this juncture of his career. We believe that the shift will improve the probability of Arjun featuring in more competitive matches. He is embarking on a new phase of his cricketing career.”
Arjun Tendulkar, who played two unofficial Tests for India against Sri Lanka in the U-19 stage three years ago has also been a regular face in the Mumbai sides in white ball cricket. He was also a part of the Mumbai Indians’ development squad which played T20 matches in England where the likes of Kumar Kartikeya and Dewald Brevis were also there.
Arjun Tendulkar is said to have been disappointed with the fact that he was dropped from the Mumbai squad this season without being given a chance to prove his talent.
Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Suraj Lotlikar said,
“We have been looking out for left-hand bowling talent [and to] also add players to the middle order with multiple skills. In this context, we invited Arjun Tendulkar to join the Goa side. We will be playing pre-season trial matches (white ball) and he will be playing in those games. The selectors will then take a call based on his performance.”