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'After what happened in last game...': Shane Bond's no-nonsense verdict on Arjun Tendulkar after 4 IPL 2023 matches
Arjun Tendulkar has picked three wickets in four IPL games for MI so far this season, but went for 31 runs during an over in the match against PBKS last week.
Mumbai Indians endured their fourth loss of the season on Tuesday night when the side faced a 55-run defeat to defending champions Gujarat Titans. The side's bowlers had yet another forgettable outing, as they conceded 77 runs in the final four overs of the innings; the Titans eventually put up a mammoth score of 207/6 in 20 overs. The MI were restricted to merely 152/9, with Noor Ahmed, Rashid Khan, and Mohit Sharma all being among the wickets.
While MI had a rather straightforward defeat, one decision that raised certain eyebrows among fans and former cricketers alike was the non-usage of Arjun Tendulkar during the death overs of GT's innings. The MI youngster had endured a rough outing during the side's game against Punjab Kings last week, where he had conceded 31 runs in the 16th over of the innings. In the game in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night, Arjun bowled only two overs – both in the Powerplay – and picked the important wicket of Wriddhiman Saha early.
Also read: 'He's an extra bowler. Extras don't have to bowl 4 overs': Australia great drops colossal ‘Arjun Tendulkar’ statement
However, Arjun wasn't given another over for the night but MI's bowling coach Shane Bond believes Arjun did “what was asked of him.” The former New Zealand quick also had a message for Tendulkar junior.
“He did well today [Tuesday]. After what happened in the last game, it's never easy to step out onto the ground that is a Colosseum with a big crowd. Obviously, we would like him to work on increasing his pace a little bit, but he did all that was asked of him today," Bond said during the post-match press conference.
Arjun also batted for the first time in his Indian Premier League career later in the game; he came to crease as a no.9 and smashed a nonchalant six early into his brief stay at the crease. The youngster was eventually dismissed on 13 off 9 deliveries during the final over.
