IPL 2023: Can Arjun take a leaf out of Bhuvi’s book?

It remains to be seen if his maiden IPL success catapults Arjun Tendulkar into the big league

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Arjun Tendulkar of Mumbai Indians celebrates the wicket of Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad. — IPL
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Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Wed 19 Apr 2023, 8:15 PM

Fourteen years after Bhuvneshwar Kumar shot into the limelight by becoming the first bowler to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in domestic cricket, the Indian medium pacer became a part of the Tendulkar story once again.

This time, it was not Sachin, but his son Arjun whose name has featured with Bhuvi in the record books.

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On Tuesday night, Bhuvi became the first IPL wicket for Arjun, a bowling all-rounder who has had to deal with the pressure of being a Tendulkar ever since he decided to become a cricketer in cricket-mad India.

But Arjun has been impressive in his first two IPL games, especially his performance (2.5-0-18-1) in Mumbai’s 14-run win over Hyderabad.

And the scalp of Bhuvi, a decent lower-order bat, was the icing on the cake for the youngster.

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It remains to be seen now if his maiden IPL success catapults Arjun into the big league, just like his father’s wicket once inspired Bhuvi to take the next big step and play for India.

But without looking too far ahead, Arjun had earned a few admirers after his performance on Tuesday night.

Arjun rose to the challenge after Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma gave him the last over when Hyderabad needed 20 runs off the last six balls.

Showing remarkable composure, Arjun delivered yorkers that never allowed the batters to free their arms before he picked the final wicket of the innings.

Even Sunil Gavaskar, the childhood idol of Arjun’s father, was impressed with his skills and temperament.

"Everybody talks about the amazing talent Sachin Tendulkar had at the start of his career. But it was his temperament that was absolutely amazing, and Arjun seems to have inherited that,” Gavaskar told Star Sports Cricket Live.

“He seems to be a shrewd thinker as well. It's always a good sign when a youngster is bowling the final over for the team and delivering."

The die-hard Sachin Tendulkar fans will now hope that it’s the start of something beautiful for his son in a sport he dominated for more than two decades.

Rituraj Borkakoty

Published: Wed 19 Apr 2023, 8:15 PM

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