NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar was the very first captain of the Mumbai Indians. In the inaugural edition in 2008, Sachin was the icon player as well. His son Arjun was 8 years old back then. As a kid, he would come to the ground and cheer and clap for his father and his team. After the match, the veteran cricketer would sometimes take his son out onto the ground.
Sachin played 78 matches for Mumbai Indians between 2008 and 2013 and scored 2334 runs at an average of 34.84. He also hit one century and 13 half-centuries during his six-season stay at MI. He was part of the first IPL title win for the blue brigade in 2013.
On Sunday, the Wankhede stadium erupted in joy. Sachin was not on the field, but in the MI dugout and his son Arjun was handed a debut IPL cap by MI and India captain Rohit Sharma.
1/10:Arjun Tendulkar makes IPL debut for Mumbai Indians
TNN2/10:Arjun Tendulkar
<p>Arjun Tendulkar's long wait to play for Mumbai Indians in the IPL finally ended on Sunday when he made his debut against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. </p>IANS3/10:Sachin and Arjun
<p>In the process batting great Sachin Tendulkar and Arjun became the first father-son pair to play in the IPL. </p>PTI4/10:Proud moment
<p>Sachin Tendulkar, who would have been a proud man on Sunday and who is mentor of the franchise and was in the dugout, played for MI from 2008 to 2013. </p>PTI5/10:First up with the new ball
<p>Arjun replaced fellow left-arm seamer Arshad Khan in the starting XI and opened the bowling for MI from the North Stand End. </p>IANS6/10:17 runs in 2 overs
<p>Arjun bowled two overs and conceded 17 runs in the process. </p>ANI7/10:5 runs in first over
<p>Arjun conceded just five runs in his first over and troubled KKR openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan. </p>TNN8/10:The coincidence
<p>Incidentally, Sachin Tendulkar's first over in the IPL too was against KKR and it went for five runs. </p>TNN9/10:The MI cap
<p>Arjun was handed the MI cap by Rohit Sharma, who was the impact player in the game skippered by Suryakumar Yadav. </p>IANS10/10:A two-year wait
<p>Arjun had to wait for two seasons before he could take his IPL bow. </p>TNNEmotions were high in the MI camp, especially for father Sachin who was visibly proud and was seen clapping and cheering for his 23-year-old son Arjun who was making his way to the middle and opening the bowling attack for the Mumbai Indians vs KKR.
“It was a new experience for me as till now I have not gone and watched him (Arjun) play. I just wanted him to have the freedom to go out and express himself and do what he wanted to do. Today also I sat in the dressing room because I didn’t want him to move away from his plans and start looking at the mega screen here and suddenly realise I was watching there,” Sachin was quoted as saying in a video posted by the Mumbai Indians.
Opening the bowling for MI on Sunday vs KKR, the left-arm seamer conceded 17 runs in two overs. He couldn't take a wicket, but did trouble the KKR batters initially.
“It was a great moment, it is a special moment to play for the team I have supported since 2008. It was very nice to get the cap from the captain of MI and Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma,” Arjun said.