Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Shane Bond on Thursday (2nd June) revealed why Arjun Tendulkar didn’t get a chance to play during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
The five-time champions had a season to forget as they created an unwanted record to their name and lost their first eight matches in a row, which eventually shattered their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
MI then became the first team to be knocked out of ongoing IPL 15. They managed only 4 to wins in their 14 encounters and ended the season last on the points table.
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It was that kind of season for MI, where almost nothing went their way. The Rohit Sharma-led side gave opportunities to many youngsters this season and no doubt a few of them were quite impressive as well.
However, one most talked about the name that didn’t get a chance was Arjun Tendulkar. There were many calls regarding his inclusion in the playing XI but he failed to make the cut into team and many fans and pundits even lashed out at the franchise for not giving the all-rounder chance.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Shane Bond has finally opened up about why Arjun didn’t get a chance. He remarked that making it to Mumbai's playing XI is a completely different thing to getting into the squad. He said that the all-rounder still has some work to do with his batting and fielding before making it to the first team.
"He's got some work to go. When you're playing for a team like Mumbai, making the squad is one thing but entering the playing XI is another. He still has a lot of hard work and development to do. When you play at this level, there's a fine line between giving everyone a game... but you have to earn your spot too.
“Arjun needs to work on his batting and fielding before finding a place on the team. Hopefully, he can make those progressions and earn a spot in the team," Shane Bond said.
Notably, Arjun has been around with MI for the past few years. After being the net bowler, he was bought by the franchise in IPL 2021 auction for INR 20 lakhs and then was again acquired by the team at IPL 2022 auction for INR 30 lakhs.
(Sportskeeda inputs)
