Finally, young Arjun Tendulkar makes a big splash in domestic cricket as he hit a terrific maiden first-class century on his Ranji Trophy debut, following the footsteps of his father, the legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
While Sachin Tendulkar played for Mumbai, Arjun had moved to Goa before the start of the season to get more opportunities after being consigned to the bench in the Mumbai squad last season.
The 23-year-old recorded this feat against Rajasthan on Day 2 of their encounter currently being played out at the Goa Cricket Association Academy Ground, Porvorim.
A seam-bowling all-rounder by characteristics, Arjun came in to bat at number 7 toward the end of Day 1 with the team score of 201 for 5 and finished on 4*. On Day 2, Arjun forged a big partnership with Suyash Prabhudessai; by Tea, the team’s total had gone past 400, Suyash Prabhudessai notched up his 150, and Arjun has raised his century.
Here are the key reasons why we believe Arjun Tendulkar could play for India sooner than you’d think:
Rarity of quality seam-bowling all-rounders in India
India has been a country rich with talented cricketers and currently has the deepest talent pool. However, if there is one type of player that they still crave is quality seam-bowling all-rounders.
While Hardik Pandya remains the first-choice all-rounder in white-ball cricket, India have struggled with other options beyond Pandya. After the disappointments of Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube, the best India have in this category are Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar, both of whom have limitations with bat and ball.
Arjun Tendulkar is a rising talent and will be monitored closely – not least because of his surname – but also for his skill set. In his small sample-size matches so far, he has shown that he can swing the ball both ways, can extract seam movement off the pitch, and with the bat, now has a maiden first-class century to boast of. That Goa has him batting at number 7 is a testament to the faith the management has in his batting.
Selectors will look at Arjun’s good form
Arjun is yet to make his IPL debut, having been on Mumbai Indians’ bench in the last two seasons. However, now good show in domestic cricket, across formats, is likely to get him his debut IPL cap in 2023. There, impressive performances could lead to something bigger.
Talking about his form, Arjun Tendulkar took 10 wickets in 7 innings with an impressive economy rate of 5.69 in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. He was Goa’s second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, this season Arjun returned as Goa’s top wicket-taker, with 7 scalps in 8 innings at an average of 32 and an economy rate of 4.98.
Opportunities galore for inexperienced Indian players
A spate of Indian fringe players have played for India and been part of squads in limited-overs cricket in the last two years. Because of the incessant cricket, seniors are regularly rested after about every couple of series. A lot of young players have grabbed their opportunities and impressed the selectors.
As mentioned above, because of the death of quality and proper seam-bowling all-rounders, it couldn’t be ruled out that Arjun will soon get on selectors’ radar if he continues good show in domestic cricket and maybe in the IPL too. Arjun could even be donning the India blue jersey in 12-18 months’ time.
