Arjun Tendulkar bowled two good overs upfront, giving away only 13 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL 2023 match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. But the junior Tendulkar, who made his IPL debut a few nights ago, had to wait till the last over of the match to once again get the ball in his hand.
SRH needed 20 runs off six balls when MI captain Rohit Sharma threw the ball to Arjun. MI definitely had the upper hand considering the fact that SRH were 8 down but the presence of a big hitter like Abdul Samad still gave them a chance. For someone as inexperienced as Arjun at this level, it was both an opportunity and a responsibility.
The left-arm pacer gave a good account of himself and dare we say also his father's. He did not buckle under pressure and instead hit the right areas right from ball 1. Arjun gave away only five runs in the last over to seal a comfortable 14-run win for MI and also ended up taking his maiden IPL wicket. He dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who, incidentally, was the first to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in a first-class match, of the penultimate ball of the match.
"My plan was to just bowl wide and get the batsmen hitting into the longer side. I was itching to bowl, yes. I love bowling and am happy to bowl any time. We [Sachin and him] talk a lot about cricket. We talk tactics and plans. I just focused on my release and the lengths I want to bowl. If it swings, it is a bonus; if it doesn't, so be it," said Arjun at the post-match presentation.
{{/usCountry}}"My plan was to just bowl wide and get the batsmen hitting into the longer side. I was itching to bowl, yes. I love bowling and am happy to bowl any time. We [Sachin and him] talk a lot about cricket. We talk tactics and plans. I just focused on my release and the lengths I want to bowl. If it swings, it is a bonus; if it doesn't, so be it," said Arjun at the post-match presentation.
{{/usCountry}}After MI's victory, Sachin Tendulkar, who is also the mentor of the franchise for a long time now, was asked to give a speech about the team's performance on Tuesday night. The legendary cricketer lauded Camron Green for his brilliant knock.
The MI management then praised Arjun for his new-ball performance and then an accurate last over under pressure. He was also presented a badge by his father Sachin amid rapturous applause.
Watch Video: Sachin Tendulkar's special award to ‘dressing room Player of the Match’ Arjun Tendulkar
"A superb all-round performance by Mumbai Indians once again. Cameron Green impressed with both bat & ball. Ishan & Tilak’s batting is as good as it gets! The IPL is getting more interesting every day. Great going boys!
"And finally, a Tendulkar has an IPL wicket!" Sachin tweeted after the match.