[Watch] Arjun Tendulkar takes his first IPL wicket for the Mumbai Indians
Arjun Tendulkar grabbed his maiden IPL wicket for the Mumbai Indians (MI) when he dismissed Sunrisers Hyderabad's Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Tuesday, April 18. Tendulkar took the wicket on the penultimate ball of the final over during MI's match against SRH at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
Tasked with defending 20 runs off the final over, the 23-year-old held his nerve and picked up the final wicket of the SRH innings to help MI win the game by 14 runs.
Check out this video of the dream moment for Arjun Tendulkar:
A special moment for young Arjun Tendulkar, who gets his first wicket in #TATAIPL and it is his captain Rohit Sharma, who takes the catch of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Arjun takes the final wicket and @mipaltan win by 14 runs. https://t.co/1jAa2kBm0Z
The moment was doubly special as it helped MI win the game. Tendulkar finished with impressive figures of 1/18 in 2.5 overs.
Having been part of the franchise since IPL 2021, Arjun Tendulkar made his long-awaited debut a couple of days ago against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 16.
"I love bowling, I am happy to bowl anytime the captain asks me to" - Arjun Tendulkar after picking up his first IPL wicket
Arjun Tendulkar was all smiles after he picked up his maiden IPL wicket in the final over of the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad.
After the win, Tendulkar expressed his excitement at picking up his first IPL wicket and his love for bowling. He said:
"Obviously it was great getting my first IPL wicket. I just had to focus on what was in hand, the plan and executing it. Our plan was just to bowl wide and get the long boundary into play, make the batsman hit it to the longer side. I love bowling, I am happy to bowl anytime the captain asks me to and just stick to the team plan and give my best."
The 23-year-old also spoke about the discussions with his father, Sachin Tendulkar.
"We talk about cricket, we discuss tactics before the game and he tells me to back what I practise every game. I just focused on my release, bowling good lengths and lines upfront. If it swings, it's a bonus, if it doesn't, so be it."
After being asked to bat first, MI posted a commanding total of 192-5 in their 20 overs. Cameron Green was the top-scorer with a superb 64 off 40 deliveries with good support from the in-form Tilak Verma. Openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan had provided a good platform with a partnership of 41 from 28 balls.
In reply, SRH lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 178 in 19.5 overs to hand MI the victory. With this result, the Mumbai Indians have won three straight games and jumped to sixth in the points table with three wins from five matches.
Mi will return home to take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Saturday, April 22.