Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, was forced to sit out yet another IPL season as Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians kept the 22-year-old left-handed pacer on the bench.
Arjun would have been ecstatic about his chances of playing after being re-signed by the five-time champions for Rs 30 lakh at the IPL mega auction. Despite MI being eliminated from playoff contention with five games remaining, the former India U-19 pacer never found game time.
Sachin Tendulkar on his son Arjun Tendulkar
Since the last IPL, Arjun Tendulkar, Sachin Tendulkar‘s son, has been a member of the Mumbai Indians squad. MI repurchased him in the mega auction for Rs 30 lakh ahead of the IPL 2022 season. However, in two seasons, the all-rounder has not played a single game. When asked about his son’s impending IPL debut, Sachin Tendulkar said his opinion doesn’t matter because the MI team management makes the final decision.
“This is a different question. What I am thinking or what I feel is not important. The season is already over,” Tendulkar said.
With only four wins in 14 games, MI finished last in the IPL 2022 points table. When MI’s fate was sealed with about 4-5 matches to go, there was a lot of talk on social media about Arjun Tendulkar. However, the MI think tank disagreed.
Tendulkar, a 200-Test veteran, says he defers to team management when it comes to selection.
“And if we speak about selection, I have never involved myself in selection. I leave all these things to the (team) management because that is how I have always functioned,” Tendulkar added.
Arjun Tendulkar has warmed the bench for 27 straight games across two IPL seasons. Fans are left wondering when his turn will come. #IPL2022 #SachinTendulkar #ArjunTendulkar #MumbaiIndians #IPL #Cricket #NewsMo pic.twitter.com/18CncqSkIA
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 25, 2022
The former India captain, who served as a mentor for the Mumbai Indians support staff, said he always tells Arjun to stay focused and work hard in order to succeed.
“And my conversation with Arjun has always been that the path is going to be challenging, it is going to be difficult. You started playing cricket because you are in love with cricket, continue to do so, continue to work hard and results will follow,” said. Tendulkar
Arjun, who is 22 years old, has only played two T20 games for his domestic team Mumbai and has appeared in the ‘T20 Mumbai’ league.
