Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun at Lord’s: How the English media reacted

Arjun Tendulkar during England’s training session at Lord’s on Wednesday. (Source: Reuters)

Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun ‘bowling’ to the England cricket team during net session at Lord’s has attracted a lot of interest, both in the Indian and English media. While the interest of the Indian media is quite obvious, the kind of attention the youngster is getting from the British press is interesting, very interesting. (Photos: Arjun’s day out at Lord’s)

Donning whites, looking sharper and taller than before, Arjun bowled his heart out and was seen receiving tips from England bowling coach Ottis Gibson.

Sachin Tendulkar’s son – Arjun, 15 – bowled to England players in nets at Lord’s today pic.twitter.com/8pFKCkNqwS

— Mike Anstead (@mike_anstead) July 15, 2015

While the Daily Mail and Guardian did the usual 5W and 1H coverage, with some funny Google search, Telegraph made a statement, a huge statement. They termed Arjun to be ‘England’s secret weapon against Australia at Lord’s’ and further said that his presence would help the Englishmen prepare for the two Ms – Johnson and Starc. Arjun, Starc and Johnson? The same league? Really? “And if the young 15-year-old has honed his skills under the tutelage of Wasim, Alastair Cook and Co. should be ready for anything,” concluded their Arjun copy, referring to Wasim Akram’s little meeting with Arjun. “He is a 15-year-old who is like any other kid in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka – he’s very enthusiastic about his cricket. He’s a left-arm medium-pacer and I gave him some tips on the game,” Akram was quoted by the NDTV earlier this year. In an attempt to add some more meat to their coverage, England media included a knock he played against a cricket simulator in Mumbai. “Arjun proved he is a chip off the old block when he hit a remarkable 118 from 42 balls for Dhirubhai Ambani International School at the Smaaash Master Blaster School Cricket Championship in India in September last year,” points out the Daily Mail story. According to the Cricinfo report, Arjun was invited because he’s a regular to the Lord’s indoor academy and was not the only one, and not the only Indian, at the venue. While the bowler ran the yards on Thursday, Lord’s cricket ground’s official Twitter handle was quick to make a little announcement for Tendulkar Jr.

.@sachin_rt‘s son bowled at @englandcricket in the nets this morning. Only at Lord’s! #LoveLords #Ashes

— Lord’s Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 15, 2015