Mumbai pacer Arjun Tendulkar lived up to his promise as he bowled a match-winning spell in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy U-19 One Day Limited Overs trophy on Saturday. The 19-year-old picked up five wickets for 30 runs with one maiden in the 8.2 overs that he bowled, powering Mumbai to a nine-wicket win over Gujarat at the Kholvad Gymkhana Ground in Surat.
Tendulkar’s five-wicket spell bundled out the opposition for 142 in the Round 2, Elite Group A and B clash. In response, Mumbai openers Suven Parkar (67*) and Divyaanch (45) ensured the chase was never going to be difficult as they reached the target in 38 overs.
The Mumbai pacer’s wickets included Vardhman Dattesh Shah (0), Priyesh (1), LM Kocher (8), Jaymeet Patel (26) and Dhruvang Patel (6).
Gujarat U-19 coach as well as the senior team coach, Vijay Patel, hailed the spell, even though it was his team on the receiving end.
“Arjun bowled very well. He deserved the five-wicket haul. He bowled a brilliant spell. I am not saying good about him just because he is the son of Sachin Tendulkar. I had seen him bowl some three to four years back when he had come with the U-16 team in Ahmedabad. He has improved vastly. He has also gained valuable experience after his stint with the U-19 Indian team,” he told The Times of India.
A rising star on the junior domestic circuit, Tendulkar made India U-19 debut against Sri Lanka in the first Youth Test against the hosts at Colombo in July.