‘Throwing ‘nepotism’ at Arjun Tedulkar unfair, don’t murder his enthusiasm’

Arjun Tendulkar was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.

New Delhi: Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar on Saturday defended Sachin Tendulkar’s son, Arjun, saying that the word ‘nepotism’ should not be thrown at the youngster as he is very hardworking and is constantly working towards becoming a better cricketer.

Arjun Tendulkar was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. However, many on social media, have questioned Arjun’s abilities and many critics have brought up ‘nepotism’ to question Arjun.

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“I feel I should say this about #Arjun_Tendulkar. We frequent the same gym & I’ve seen how hard he works on his fitness, seen his focus to be a better cricketer. To throw the word ‘nepotism’ at him is unfair & cruel. Don’t murder his enthusiasm & weigh him down before he’s begun,” tweeted Farhan Akhtar.

I feel I should say this about #Arjun_Tendulkar. We frequent the same gym & I’ve seen how hard he works on his fitness, seen his focus to be a better cricketer. To throw the word ‘nepotism’ at him is unfair & cruel. Don’t murder his enthusiasm & weigh him down before he’s begun.

— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) February 20, 2021

Earlier, Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan had said that all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar will need to prove himself in the upcoming edition of the IPL.

In the players’ auction held on Thursday, defending champions Mumbai Indians picked up Arjun Tendulkar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, and Piyush Chawla.

“I have spent a lot of time in the nets, trying to teach him some tricks of the trade, he is a hardworking kid, he is keen on learning, it is an exciting part. The added pressure of being Sachin Tendulkar’s son will always be on him, it is something he needs to live with, the environment of the team will help him. It will help him become a good cricketer, how many times a youngster gets picked in the auction and everyone is talking about him, he has to prove himself and he has to show everyone he has the goods,” said Zaheer during a virtual press conference.

The IPL “mini-auction” this year has 291 players going under the hammer as England pacer Mark Wood withdrew from the auction at the end moment. Chris Morris became the most expensive player to be bought in the auction as he was bagged by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 16.25 crore.

All these cricketers have been shortlisted by the eight franchises. A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and 3 players from associate nations are up for grabs in the mini-auction.