The Indian Premier League (IPL25th )’s game saw Mumbai Indians upset Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 18). After beginning the season with two straight defeats, the five-time winners achieved a hat trick of triumphs in an almost flawless performance. The buzz of the town was Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun maintaining his cool despite defending 20 runs in the last over, among many other positives. In addition, he took Bhuvneshwar Kumar out with the last ball of the final over to claim his maiden IPL wicket.
It’s interesting to note that at the same location, in January 2009, 14 years before, Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first and only bowler in Ranji Trophy history to remove Sachin Tendulkar for a duck. In domestic cricket, Bhuvi represented UP, whilst Sachin belonged to the all-star squad from Mumbai. At the time, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, then 18 years old, swung the ball in swiftly to grab an inside edge of the bat, tap on the pad, and inflate in the air, resulting in Tendulkar recording a 15-ball duck. Shivkant Shukla, the fielder at short mid-wicket, made a fantastic catch while diving to his left.
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad hosted the Ranji Trophy final. After 14 years, 3 months, and 6 days, Arjun Tendulkar selected Bhuvneshwar Kumar as his first IPL wicket at the same location. It might be said that he somewhat atoned for the bowler’s dismissal of his father during the Ranji Trophy. Arjun was happy for MI as well after a solid performance.
“Naturally, taking my maiden IPL wicket was fantastic. I just needed to concentrate on the task at hand, the strategy, and carrying it through. We just intended to bowl wide in order to force the batter to hit the longer side and bring the long boundary into action. I like bowling, and if the captain wants me to, I am delighted to do so as long as I follow the team’s strategy and give it my all. He and I (Sachin Tendulkar) discuss strategies before games and chat about cricket. He advises me to play the way I practise. I simply concentrated on getting the ball out with excellent length and line. If it swings, that’s a plus; if not, that’s okay too “After the game, he stated.
