Arjun Tendulkar has announced himself on the IPL stage.
He made his Mumbai Indians debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede stadium, bowling two overs for 17 runs on Sunday evening.
His bowling didn't seem particularly special then, but on Tuesday night when he was called on by his skipper Rohit Sharma to deliver, he did and how!
The 23 year old finished with 1 for 17 in 2.5 overs and in the contest of the match, it was game-tilting.
The words Tendulkar and pressure go hand-in-hand, because that's how Arjun's dad pulled off victories for India from desperate situations back in the day. Arjun exhibited the same trait against SRH on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Chasing 193 for victory, SRH lost wickets at regular intervals even though Mayank Agarwal and Heinrich Klaasen took them close -- Hyderabad eventually needed 20 off the last over.
With all-rounder Abdul Samad and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the crease -- the score reading 173 for 8 -- Arjun was handed the onus of taking MI over the line.
Arjun started the over with a low full-toss. Samad threw his bat at it, but the 'keeper put in a dive to keep it down to a dot.
SRH lost a wicket the next ball. Another low full toss and Samad cut it towards the off side and completed a single. He failed to make his ground coming back for the second and was run out for 9.
With SRH needing 19 off 4 with one wicket in hand, Arjun bowled a wide to new man Mayank Markande, who then dug out a yorker next ball and scampered for a couple.
The pressure equally on both teams, Arjun followed it up with another yorker, and all Markande managed was a single off a leg bye.
Arjun then bowled a fuller delivery to Bhuvi who couldn't middle his shot and played the ball to Rohit at cover -- MI winning by 14 runs and Tendulkar junior getting his maiden IPL wicket.
Despite a laboured run-up and a not so technically sound bowling action, Arjun stuck to the basics, bowled the right lengths, not allowing the batters freedom to take him on.
The praise he receives for his last-over heroics against SRH will be well deserved and any improvement in his bowling will be a bonus to add to his repertoire.
