‘Arjun is representing MI because he is…’: PAK Great makes a remark on Arjun Tendulkar’s IPL 2023 Appearance
Despite having only played two matches for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), all eyes are on Arjun Tendulkar. After all, he is the son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, which makes it unavoidable for him to escape the hawkish eyes.
While fans and fellow players are heaping praise on the debutant, former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif subjected him to harsh criticism for his action, lack of pace and poor alignment.
‘He won’t be able to generate pace, his alignment isn’t good’: Rashid Latif
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif feels that Arjun, son of batting great Sachin Tendulkar, might not be able to generate pace in his bowling as his “alignment is not good”. Arjun Tendulkar made his IPL debut last week during Mumbai Indians’ game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, but went wicketless.
However, the 23-year-old picked his maiden IPL wicket, dismissing SunRisers Hyderabad’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar in MI’s last match. While Arjun has been receiving praise from all corners, Latif suggested that the youngster needs to work a lot on his body as his balance isn’t good.
“He’s (Arjun) 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. 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 said on his YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind’.
PAK Great further makes a remark on his debut for MI
While Arjun’s batting is yet to be experienced at full tilt, the youngster looks more suited to bowling. A couple of months ago, Arjun scored a century on Ranji Trophy debut emulating his father and more recently, MI uploaded a small clip of Arjun hitting it big in the nets.
As the world hopes to see more of Arjun’s batting, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif reckons the reason Arjun was picked by MI is because he is an all-rounder, and that had the 23-year-old been just a batter, the chances of him playing would have diminished due to unavoidable Sachin comparisons.
“This could be a reason why he became a bowler. That must have ended up playing a role in Arjun’s future. Arjun is representing Mumbai Indians because he is playing as an all-rounder. Had he come in as a batsman, he may not have gotten selected. An all-rounder is more in demand,” commented Latif.
How Sachin’s presence in the dug-out impacts Arjun’s attitude
While highlighting the presence of his father Sachin in the MI camp, Latif suggested that Arjun’s mindset would have been different had he been playing for some other franchise.
“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,” he added.
MI defeated SRH to register their third win on the bounce in the IPL. They will now take on Punjab Kings on Saturday.
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