Hope people do not trash talk about Arjun Tendulkar, says Atul Gaikwad

Arjun Tendulkar is not a new name for the cricket fans in India. His progress is being closely monitored by many. Being a star kid is never easy and it is clearly evident in Arjun’s case as well. Arjun is the son of the iconic former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Recently, the youngster achieved a very big milestone of his short cricketing career thus far.

He was picked up in the India U19 side for the four-day matches in Sri Lanka. While his selection has seen the social media erupt in joy as they will get to see ‘Tendulkar’ back on the field, some people are finding his selection a little hard to digest. They believe he is succeeding only because of nepotism. But if the words of his U19 coach, Atul Gaikwad, is to be believed, then the youngster has worked really hard for this.

On his selection, a very happy Atul Gaikwad expressed that “Arjun’s hard work has paid off.” As per the quotes in Times of India, Atul remarked that he has closely seen how Arjun Tendulkar has handled his injuries and come back strong on the cricket field. He added that Arjun can be very nippy and quick on his given day.

“I’ve seen that boy very closely. From suffering back-to back stress fractures three years ago to struggling with a spate of injuries, he has worked very hard to get here. On a good day, he can consistently touch 135 (kmph),” Atul Gaikwad quoted.

‘He will handle it well’

Adding further on the similar lines, Atul Gaikwad expects Arjun to handle all the hype and pressure really well. He cited that Arjun never used the name of his father to get any attention or any special privileges on the cricketing field. The only concern that Gaikwad, who has also closely worked with Mithali Raj in his coaching career, has is that the people should not trash talk a lot about Arjun and his selection in the side.

“I expect him to handle it well. Personally, I’ve never seen him take advantage of his father’s name. For instance, never did he expect his coaches to give him any special attention because he is Sachin’s son nor has he ever made noise about it. I only hope people don’t jump the gun and start talking trash about why he’s here and whose son he is. Watch his cricket and see for yourself,” Gaikwad remarked.

Stay updated on ‘today’s cricket news‘ with CricTracker.com.