Virat Kohli and Arjun Tendulkar face off in the nets ahead of first New Zealand ODI

What's the story?

Mumbai U-19 bowler Arjun Tendulkar, the son of iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, was seen bowling to Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan in the nets ahead of the team's first ODI against New Zealand.

The session was supervised by Team India coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun.

In case you didn't know

Tendulkar, an all-rounder, bowls left-arm seam, and has been in intensive cricket training from a young age. The younger Tendulkar has represented his school in intra-institution tournaments and done well with the bat, but now is primarily a bowler.

In perhaps one of the best statistics of his school cricket career, Tendulkar once hit 188 runs off 42 deliveries for his school, Mumbai-based Dhirubhai Ambani International School, at the under-16 level.

The details

#TeamIndia had a long and an intense training session in Mumbai. Here’s a ? recap. #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/9Z3hH2TFaj

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 20, 2017

Tendulkar has extensive experience facing big names in the net, and in addition to the advice provided by his cricketing great father, has received pointers from Wasim Akram at Lord's in the past.

In addition to Kohli and Dhawan, the younger Tendulkar also bowled to Ajinkya Rahane and Kedar Jadhav.

This is also not the first time he is bowling to a national team in the nets. Tendulkar was also present at Lord's ahead of the Indian women's team World Cup final clash against England, bowling to Veda Krishnamurthy in the nets.

Sachin Tendulkar's son, Arjun, is one of the net bowlers for India women today. Bowling t Veda here. #WWC17 @ESPNcricinfo pic.twitter.com/M37es7GINf

— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) July 22, 2017

Author's Take

Tendulkar will doubtless face comparisons to his father throughout his career, but the teen has already appeared to start carving out a niche for himself. Primarily a bowler, perhaps he is moving away from the iconic knocks of Sachin Tendulkar, and the recently-turned 18-year-old has displayed prowess with both bat and ball.

With the best access to training and facilities he would need to hone his talent, Arjun Tendulkar could well be a force to reckon with in the coming years.

What's next?

Arjun Tendulkar has received call-ups to teams for inter-zonal and invitational tournaments, and is a regular feature in the nets. The young player is not short of either opportunities or talent, and with the level of training he receives, will likely feature in the national team in a few years' time.