“He did all that was asked of him” - MI bowling coach Shane Bond on Arjun Tendulkar’s performance against GT

Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Shane Bond praised Arjun Tendulkar for a good bowling performance during the team’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday, April 25. He asserted that the youngster did all that was asked of him at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Arjun, 23, was under pressure after a poor game against Punjab Kings (PBKS). He went for 48 runs in three overs, which included a 31-run over - the joint-most expensive in the ongoing edition of the IPL.

On Tuesday, the left-arm pacer bowled two overs in which he conceded only nine runs and picked up the wicket of Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Wriddhiman Saha. Arjun’s performance was among the few positives for MI on a disappointing day as they went down to Gujarat by 55 runs.

Assessing the young pacer’s effort, Bond said at the post-match press conference:

“He did well today [Tuesday]. After what happened in the last game, it's never easy to step out onto the ground that is a Colosseum with a big crowd. Obviously, we would like him to work on increasing his pace a little bit, but he did all that was asked of him today.

“It's never easy on the back of a bad day. A few of our bowlers had bad days over the last few games. And that's the thing with T20 cricket, where you got to have thick skin in a short memory and must come out. We must execute all our plans to find ourselves in the playoffs at the back end of the tournament. We just have to be better at what we do.”

Mumbai’s bowlers had a tough day in the office as David Miller (46 off 22) and Abhinav Manohar (42 off 21) excelled in the second half of Gujarat’s innings. Cameron Green went for 39 runs in two overs while Riley Meredith conceded 49 in four.

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“We haven’t been up to the mark” - Shane Bond on MI’s bowling effort

Asked if Mumbai Indians would be considering any changes to their team structure and playing XI, Bond replied that it was too early to comment on the same. He, however, did admit that bowling has not been up to the mark. Bond said:

“We haven’t had time to discuss team changes or plans. When you are coming off a loss, the instant reaction is to consider the balance of the team. I think our batting order has done well in the tournament. About our bowling combination, who bowls and how they bowl is up for grabs, and fair enough, as we haven’t been up to the mark.

“We have a couple of days before the next game and some practice sessions to get stuck into. I’m sure the head coach and the captain, those conversations on who warrants a place in the team will eventually happen.”

MI will next face the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 30.