On Wednesday, Sachin Tendulkar‘s son Arjun Tendulkar accomplished the same feat, nearly 35 years to the day after he scored his first First Class century on his Ranji Trophy debut. At the Goa Cricket Association field in Porvorim, Arjun, who relocated to Goa this season, slammed his first first-class century off 177 deliveries against Rajasthan.
Arjun scored 201/5 with Goa at No. 7, hitting 12 boundaries and two sixes. And after putting together an uninterrupted 205-run stand with Suyash S Prabhudesai (172), he was batting on 112. The 23-year-old made the decision to relocate to Goa earlier this season and asked the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
In its statement, SRT Sports Management company stated, “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.”
Sachin travelled to Goa ahead of the Ranji Trophy to meet his son. In Mumbai, Arjun was constantly the centre of attention, and his performance was constantly being evaluated. This season, he competed for Goa in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophies. In eight List A games, the left-handed batsman and medium-pacer claimed eight wickets. He had four wickets for Goa in three T20 games during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Arjun was selected for the squad by the MCA senior selection committee last year when Mumbai advanced to the Ranji Trophy final, but he didn’t play in any games. The left-arm pacer had previously played for Mumbai in the Indian T20 League after being selected for the India under-19 team as a junior. He has yet to make an appearance in the cash-rich league.
Arjun had expressed interest in representing the state as a professional player for the upcoming season, according to Goa Cricket Association secretary Vipul Phadke, who was speaking at the time to The Indian Express.
“He wanted to play for Goa in the forthcoming season so he approached us. We told him to first get an NoC from MCA which he got. We will have his fitness and skill test going ahead. Like many players Arjun wanted to play for Goa but a process will be followed before we pick him,” Phadke had said.
