"Although they were eight down, he still got the job done"- Shaun Pollock hails MI's Arjun Tendulkar for holding nerves under pressure vs SRH
Former South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock heaped praise on Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Arjun Tendulkar for showing great composure under pressure against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday.
SRH needed 20 runs to win off the final over when Rohit Sharma gave young Arjun Tendulkar a chance to prove his mettle as a death bowler. The left-arm pacer conceded just five runs, nailing most of his yorkers and made every MI fan proud, including his father Sachin Tendulkar.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after MI's win over SRH, here's what Shaun Pollock had to say about Arjun Tendulkar's performances so far:
"He (Arjun) have been given two chances so far and he has done well in both. He swung the ball a bit, kept it tight, and even today at the death he would have felt that pressure. Although they (SRH) were eight down, he still got the job done. So it's an exciting time for Mumbai Indians fans and Indian fans."
Former Australian cricketer Lisa Sthalekar was also present in the discussion. She spoke about how well captain Rohit Sharma rotated his bowlers and identified the right role for everyone. She added:
"You always expect Rohit to juggle and read the game well and get the best out of his bowlers. He has had to work maybe extra harder than he usually would because he relies on Jasprit Bumrah or Jofra Archer or anyone he could just throw the ball to. He has had to create those 'bankers' and sometimes it takes a bit of time. With each win, he is learning more about his bowling group and how best to utilize them."
Lisa Sthalekar on Jason Behrendorff's impact for MI
Lisa Sthalekar also spoke about how well Jason Behrendorff bowled for the Mumbai Indians against SRH. Although he was expensive at the death, Behrendorff gave Mumbai the crucial breakthroughs of Harry Brook and Rahul Tripathi in the powerplay.
On this, Sthalekar stated:
"I think their pace bowlers came to the party. This was a problem with MI and I think Jason Behrendorff is the key for them as he picks wickets in the powerplay. That halts the scoring from batting perspective and allows others to get into their spells."
After losing their first two games, the Mumbai Indians have come roaring back in the competition with three back-to-back wins.