‘He’s an extra, and extras don’t have to bowl 4 overs’: AUS great on Arjun

The Mumbai Indians faced a devastating defeat to defending champions Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night, as the side lost by 55 runs in Ahmedabad.

MI’s bowling attack endured a poor outing yet again as they conceded 207 runs in 20 overs, and the Titans did well to restrict the side to merely 152/9. With no Jofra Archer yet again, the MI pace bowling attack was taken to cleaners in the death overs; however, what surprised the fans and former cricketers alike was the non-usage of Arjun Tendulkar at the death.

Arjun had a forgettable night during MI’s previous game against Punjab Kings when he conceded 31 runs in the 16th over of the game to Sam Curran and Harpreet Singh. Last night, Arjun bowled only two overs – both in the Powerplay – as he picked the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha in his second. The bowler ended with figures of 1/9, leaving many to wonder on the reason behind saving Arjun’s remaining two overs.

Amid the lack of clarity over the Tendulkar junior’s underutilization, former Australia star Tom Moody – who had also been the head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past – made a massive remark on Arjun. Moody stated that the 23-year-old youngster did his job and that he is an “extra bowler” in the Mumbai lineup.

“You can’t guarantee that the third over will be met. Even the very best bowlers, the most experienced bowlers… when you get greedy and think, ‘let’s just try and get that extra over’, more often than not, they get lined up,” Moody told ESPNCricinfo when asked whether Arjun could’ve been given an extra over at the start.

“Tendulkar did his job. Again, he’s a recipient of the sub. He’s the extra bowler. And the extra bowler doesn’t have to complete four (overs). He has contributed well at the top, took a wicket and gave 9 overs. You can’t argue when the cows come home, ‘oh he should’ve bowled the death over instead of Green!’. Green’s the international bowler, and he has bowled poorly,” Moody further said.

MI are currently seventh in the IPL 2023 table with three wins in seven matches. Titans, meanwhile, climb to second spot with five wins in seven, equalling the top-placed Chennai Super Kings on points.