Sachin Tendulkar sends heartfelt message to his son Arjun after IPL debut

Sachin Tendulkar shared a heartfelt message for his son Arjun Tendulkar, who made his maiden appearance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.

When Arjun made his Mumbai Indians (MI) debut in their IPL 2023 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium, Sachin and Arjun became the first-ever father-son pair to feature in the IPL.

Between 2008 and 2013, Sachin also played for MI, scoring 2334 runs in 78 IPL games, while he also captained them in 51 matches, with 30 wins and 21 losses.

After MI won the toss and opted to bowl, Sachin's son Arjun opened MI's bowling against KKR. He ended the game with with figures of 0 for 17 having bowled two overs. He didn't get a chance to bat as MI defeated KKR by five wickets.

Sachin took to Twitter and wished his son the very best as he embarked on a "beautiful journey."

"Arjun, today you have taken another important step in your journey as a cricketer. As your father, someone who loves you and is passionate about the game, I know you will continue to give the game the respect it deserves and the game will love you back.

"You have worked very hard to reach here, and I am sure you will continue to do so. This is the start of a beautiful journey. All the best!" Sachin tweeted.

While MI captain Rohit Sharma was not a part of his side's playing XI as he was suffering from a stomach bug, he handed the IPL cap to Arjun. Rohit, however, came in for MI as an impact player during their chase of 186. Rohit struck two sixes and a four in his 13-ball 20. His opening partner Ishan Kishan top-scored with 58 off 25 balls, while stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav scored 43 off 25 balls.

Prior to his IPL debut, Arjun had played nine T20 for Mumbai, picking up 12 wickets and scoring 10 runs with the bat. The 23-year-old fast bowler has also played seven List A and seven First-Class matches.

MI's five-wicket win over KKR was only their second victory of the ongoing season from four games, while KKR have two wins from five matches. MI's upcoming game is an away fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday, while KKR take on Delhi Capitals (DC) on Thursday.