Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene revealed that they picked Arjun Tendulkar purely on the basis of his skill sets. Arjun, who is the son of the legendary Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹20 lakhs in the mini-auction of IPL on Thursday. Mahela Jayarswardene said the stint with MI will be a learning process for Arjun. The former Sri Lanka skipper also said the 21-year-old left-arm medium-pacer will be learning and evolving with his game more with the passage of time.
During a recent chat on ESPNCricinfo, Mahela Jayawardene said, “We’ve looked at it purely on a skill basis. I mean, there is going to be a big tag on his head because of Sachin. But, luckily, he’s a bowler, not a batsman. So I think Sachin will be very proud if he could bowl like Arjun. I think it’s going to be a learning process for Arjun. He just started playing for Mumbai, and now the franchise. He will learn the ropes; he will evolve.”
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He further added, “He’s still young. A very focused young man. We have to give him time and hopefully not put a lot of pressure on him either. Just let him evolve and work his way up, and that’s what we’re there to help him to do.”
During the IPL 2020, Arjun was involved with the Mumbai Indians as a net bowler and was the last player to be bought in the IPL auction on Thursday.
On the other hand, talking about the youngster Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan said, “I have spent a lot of time in the nets, trying to teach him some tricks of the trade, he is a hardworking kid, he is keen on learning, it is an exciting part. It will help him become a good cricketer, how many times a youngster gets picked in the auction and everyone is talking about him, he has to prove himself and he has to show everyone he has the goods.”
In the players’ auction held on Thursday, defending champions also grabbed the services of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, and Piyush Chawla.
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When asked about acquiring all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, Zaheer said: “He is someone who has capabilities of a good all-rounder, it is all about timing, we have timed it well. Neesham has the capabilities and that is what we all think, hence the opportunity. It is all about timing, it is all about getting a chance to prove yourself.”
