Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised young pacer Arjun Tendulkar for his temperament, work ethic, and tactical awareness after the left-arm seamer made his IPL 2026 debut for Lucknow Super Giants against Punjab Kings at the Ekana Stadium. Earlier in the season, Ashwin had stated that Arjun was unlikely to break into the playing XI because of Lucknow’s strong pace-bowling depth.

However, after finally getting his opportunity, the youngster impressed with a composed spell, finishing with figures of 1/36 in four overs and dismissing the dangerous Prabhsimran Singh with a sharp reversing yorker.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged the unique pressure Arjun carries because of constant comparisons with his legendary father, Sachin Tendulkar. “I won’t talk about his skill. But his journey is not easy because he will always be compared to his father,” Ashwin said.

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“However, I will say two things about him — he is extremely hard-working and does not back down from a contest. Even if a batter hits him for a boundary, he comes back stronger. Those are qualities you have to appreciate.”

Ashwin was particularly impressed by Arjun’s game awareness against Prabhsimran Singh. During his first over, the youngster used short-pitched bowling smartly and even forced a top edge, although wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant failed to complete the catch.

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“That yorker actually reversed, which was impressive,” Ravichandran Ashwin explained. “But what stood out for me was the bodyline bouncer strategy against Prabhsimran. He identified the weakness, executed the plan, and later nailed the yorker as well. For someone playing his first game of the season, that showed strong cricketing intelligence.”

Ashwin also admitted that Lucknow’s difficult IPL 2026 campaign may have opened the door for Arjun’s debut, but he believes the young pacer did enough to earn more opportunities in the future.