What’s the story?
On Wednesday, England wicketkeeper-batsman Johnny Bairstow sustained an unexpected injury scare after he was pinned on the foot by a toe-crunching yorker from a 17-year-old Arjun Tendulkar. According to a report in The Daily Mail, the incident occurred during a practice session ahead of England’s first Test match against South Africa at Lord’s.
Arjun, who, of course, is the son of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, bowled a well-directed yorker that had Bairstow hobbling out of the session after facing just one delivery. Bairstow’s left foot was kept in a compression unit for a brief while to ease the pain according to the report.
In case you didn’t know…
Arjun, who is over six-foot in height, is an aspiring left-arm pacer and has played for the under-14 and under-16 teams of Mumbai. Having made several appearances already with his father over the last few years, Arjun is no stranger to the indoor training nets at Lord’s.
Recently, he had the Indian media in a frenzy by padding up for a nets session with the South African team during the ICC Champions Trophy.
The heart of the matter
Arjun spends every summer holidaying in London with his family. The Tendulkars have a home in St. John’s Wood, which is near to the Lord’s cricket ground. The youngster, however, does not miss out on the opportunity to work on his cricketing skills during the summer vacation.
This time he was taking part in a practise session with the English team, one which Bairstow will not easily forget. Although the injury did not prove to be anything major, he surely was in pain.
The first Test match of the four-match series between England and South Africa has started a while back. Having sustained just a knock, Bairstow was fit to be named in the team.
Also read: Hardik Pandya opens up about Ravindra Jadeja running him out in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final
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Author’s take
The English cricketers, especially the bowlers, have long suffered at the hands of Sachin Tendulkar. It all started when a 16-year-old Sachin played a knock of 119 not out at Old Trafford in 1990 to save the Test match. And now, it seems the legacy will be carried forward by Arjun.
Although it’s too soon to fathom, in a few years, another Tendulkar might begin to haunt the Englishmen, this time as a fiery fast bowler.
Also read: India look set to play two more series in 2017
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