Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Mumbai Indians, hailed Arjun Tendulkar’s performance after his team’s victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 18, saying the medium pacer bowled with clarity of mind. In just his second IPL game, Arjun was given the task of defending 20 runs in the final over. He did an excellent job of it, leading MI to a 14-run victory.
With only two wickets remaining when they entered the final over, SRH was eight runs behind the target. On the second delivery, Abdul Samad was run out, putting pressure on Mayank Markande and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the two remaining players. However, Arjun was able to end SRH’s innings by dismissing Bhuvneshwar Kumar after the fifth delivery.
The winning captain, Rohit Sharma, spoke candidly about playing with Arjun and his time spent in the dressing room with the father-and-son team during the post-game awards ceremony.
Since joining the Mumbai Indians in 2011, Rohit Sharma has played alongside Sachin Tendulkar for both the Indian national team and the IPL squad. He is now paired with Arjun Tendulkar.
Playing with Arjun is a lot of fun. The circle of life is complete. This team has included Arjun for three years. He is aware of his intentions. He also exudes a lot of confidence. His plans are transparent. At the latter end, he is attempting to bowl Yorkers by swinging the new ball, according to Rohit.
After defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Mumbai Indians won the current competition for the third time in a row. After losing their first two games to Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Chennai Super Kings, they turned things around by defeating the struggling Delhi Capitals. They then defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders and SRH to return to winning ways.
Anytime the captain wants me to bowl, I’m eager to do so: Arjun Tendulkar
Arjun Tendulkar triumphs over KKR and SRH may have been particularly memorable for him because he made his IPL debut against the former team while grabbing his first IPL wicket against the latter. When asked how it felt to take the first IPL wicket in history, Arjun said:
“Obviously, getting my first IPL wicket was fantastic. I only needed to concentrate on the task at hand, the strategy, and carrying it through. To simply bowl wide, bring the long boundary into play, and force the hitter to hit the longer side was our strategy. I enjoy bowling, and if the captain wants me to, I am delighted to do so as long as I follow the team’s strategy and give it my all.
“I just concentrated on bowling nice lengths and lines upfront and on my release. If it swings, that’s great; if not, that’s okay too. He continued, speaking of his conversations with his father, Sachin Tendulkar, “We (Sachin and him) chat about cricket, we debate strategies before the game, and he urges me to back what I practice every game.