If you’re into cricket and scrolling through Instagram reels, chances are you’ll come across a clip of a young batter matching Sachin Tendulkar shot for shot. The big red MRF sticker on his bat, the stance, the backlift, the guard, the tap on the pitch, the ultra-light pads – some of his shots are straight out of the Tendulkar playbook. Several ‘lite’ versions of Tendulkar have come and gone, but this one is as close and promising as it gets to perfection.
Meet Supresh Mugade, a 21-year-old budding batter from Mumbai, whose penchant to be like Tendulkar has made him an Instagram sensation. Sacrificing his own technique, he decided to bat exactly like Sachin, or at least mirror him, from a young age. Supresh was only nine when Sachin retired from international cricket, but in today’s era of 18 and 45, if he is a ‘Sachin Paglu’, it’s because his father, Prakash, like countless more, remains a true Tendulkar fan.
“I got into cricket when I was six. I used to initially play with my dad, not in an academy or practice. For the first four years, I only practised with my father. Near Venus Academy. My father was initially worried that I might get hit by the ball and similar things. But after one year of playing softball, I switched to the season ball,” Supresh tells The Hindustan Times.
“My father has been a huge Sachin Tendulkar fan. He has never played any form of cricket. He has always been into cricket. The journey wasn’t easy – to bat like Sachin. At first, I had my own batting stance, but my father insisted that if you are playing cricket, bat like Sachin – ape him. The way he taps his bat, the way he smiles. His technique is the best. My dad taught me all that.”
‘Had arguments with father over copying Sachin’s style’
Being a Sachin clone comes with its drawbacks. There are times when trying to emulate Tendulkar can do more harm than good for Supresh, because what was routine for Sachin often isn’t for others. For example, Tendulkar never had trouble facing Wasim Akram, while the rest of the cricketing world struggled against one of the greatest left-arm pacers in history.
“I have arguments with my father, because I do make mistakes. When I don’t score runs, I wonder why I’m trying to copy Sachin. But even then, my father continues to insist. It has been a conscious effort. Only if I wear the same equipment would I look like him. It took two years for me to look a lot like him while batting. I try to do exactly what he did while batting,” Supresh says.
Ask any up-and-coming Indian batter about his role model, and he’ll likely name Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. But not Supresh. As much as he admires Ro-Ko, there’s no one quite like Tendulkar. He’s never seen Tendulkar play live, let alone witnessed his prime. Yet from what he has studied on YouTube and from replays, Supresh understands why Virat is still a close second to Sachin.
‘Sachin first, Virat second’
“I have blurred memories of his final innings, but I never watched his batting much. When I was playing the Haris Shield Trophy, Sachin had come over to watch the match. However, we met him in a group, so we never got the chance to interact individually. It’s a dream to meet him and practice with him. Virat is my second-best batter. But when it comes to technique and records, I have always preferred Sachin. Virat is the best in the world at the moment, but I think Sachin played a lot more on challenging wickets and scored runs,” he says.
The engagement on Supresh’s Instagram, ‘supu_onstrike’, has grown rapidly, with each video bringing him closer to looking like Tendulkar. One of his clips – a montage of his batting alongside Tendulkar’s – has garnered more than 231,000 likes and counting. While many fans admire how closely he resembles Sachin, with comments such as ‘the closest to Sachin I’ve seen and ‘exactly the same as the Master Blaster’, others have questioned the idea of copying the Master Blaster so closely. “It’s been a year since I began uploading videos on Instagram. I started very casually, but received a good response. Some people ask me why I ‘copy’ Sachin, but it’s not that. Each day, I am trying to learn and get better.”
Pursuing his degree at Thakur College and having completed schooling from Swami Vivekanand in Kandivali, Supresh is part of the Payyade Cricket Academy, where he is taking daily steps toward his next goal.
“I practice two hours a day. In fact, all my videos are personal. I personally book nets and do it. I wake up by 8 and start with ground training for an hour. Between 1 and 3, I train at the Payyade Cricket Academy, before I head to the gym by 7. My target is the Ranji Trophy. If I score runs at the club level, I will get a chance to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.”
