New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 25, 2023 16:16 IST
By India Today Sports Desk: Former Australia fast bowler Tom Moody said Arjun Tendulkar needs the backing of Mumbai Indians, especially after his expensive outing against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in their IPL 2023 defeat on Saturday. Moody said he would love to see the 5-time champions persisting with the 23-year-old left-arm pacer.
Mumbai Indians lost to Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium by 13 runs after the visiting team batted first and made 214 on the board. Arjun Tendulkar gave away 48 runs in 3 overs on a day when most of the Mumbai Indians batters were expensive. Arjun Tendulkar was taken to the cleaners as Sam Curran and Harpreet Singh took 31 runs off the left-arm pacer’s 3rd over. Arjun ended up giving 48 runs in his 3-over spell.
Arjun Tendulkar picked up a wicket with a slower-ball yorker in his second over but the left-arm pacer was not able to hold his nerves under pressure.
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Tom Moody said Arjun Tendulkar has been doing well in the powerplay and it’s only right that Mumbai Indians back him to execute his skills at the top. Notably, Arjun had thrived under pressure, defending 20 runs against SunRIsers Hyderabad in the final over after captain Rohit Sharma handed him the responsibility at the death.
“I would be surprised if he is overlooked for this match because his overs early on have been quite effective and he has not been expensive at all. Yes, he got sort of caught in a heavy breeze, the other day. Anyone can get collected. If anything, it’s time to back him. If you are backing him to play, you have got to back him to continue to do well at the top which he’s done. Give another chance to finish the game, he did finish one game even though there were reasonable numbers of runs in the bank.” Tom Moody told ESPNCricinfo.
Arjun Tendulkar, who was part of the Mumbai Indians set-up since the 2021 season, made his debut earlier in IPL 2023. The left-arm pacer has picked up 2 wickets from 3 matches at an economy rate of 10.
Mumbai Indians, who are bolstered by the return of Jofra Archer, will face defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, April 25.
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