Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary former India batter Sachin, took his maiden wicket in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday night when he dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tendulkar junior had made his debut in the league last week but bowled only two overs – both in the powerplay; however, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma handed Arjun the final over in the SRH clash, tasking the 23-year-old bowling all-rounder with defending 20 runs. Arjun eventually had an impressive outing, as he conceded only five.
While the fans and former cricketers alike praised Arjun for his performance against both, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has made a rather worrying remark on the all-rounder. Latif believes Arjun might need to make changes in his bowling action, otherwise his pace could be a major issue.
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“He's in his initial stage. He has to do a lot of hard work. His alignment isn't good, he won't be able to generate pace,” Latif said on his official YouTube channel.
“If a good biomechanical consultant guides him, maybe he can add some pace to his bowling. It's quite a touchy subject, coaching and changing a player. Sachin could've done that himself but he relied on domestic cricket for that. Your base has to be strong. When he lands, he goes out instead of coming in. His balance isn't good, and that's impacting his pace. But again, it's still in the initial stage. He can go till 135kmph, he's a good batter. He can be a good player in 2-3 years,” Latif further said.
{{/usCountry}}“If a good biomechanical consultant guides him, maybe he can add some pace to his bowling. It's quite a touchy subject, coaching and changing a player. Sachin could've done that himself but he relied on domestic cricket for that. Your base has to be strong. When he lands, he goes out instead of coming in. His balance isn't good, and that's impacting his pace. But again, it's still in the initial stage. He can go till 135kmph, he's a good batter. He can be a good player in 2-3 years,” Latif further said.
{{/usCountry}}The former Pakistan wicketkeeper also stated that Arjun's mindset would've been different had he been representing a different franchise, hinting that the presence of his father Sachin Tendulkar in the dugout is influential.
“If he was playing for some other franchise, say Sunrisers Hyderabad, his attitude would be quite different. Right now, his father is also in the dressing room. His fatherly roles should now be in his (non-cricketing) life,” Latif further said.