‘Momentum totally shifted after that’ - Aakash Chopra reflects on Arjun Tendulkar’s 31-run over against Punjab Kings

The 31st game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a fiery clash between the five-time champions Mumbai Indians and the Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, April 22. Coming in to bat after losing the toss, Punjab posted a whopping 214 runs on the board.

Punjab were 118/4 after 15 overs of the first innings, however, things quickly changed after Arjun Tendulkar came in to bowl the 16th over of the match. The 23-year-old conceded 31 runs off the over, which helped the Sam Curran-led side post the huge total on the board.

Former Indian cricketer, Aakash Chopra gave his take on Arjun’s spell and opined that the expensive over turned the tide in Punjab’s favour. Talking about the same in a video on his YouTube channel, he said,

"Not even 85 runs were scored in the first 10 overs. After that, there was a question of whether they would even be able to score 160, but they reached 214. There was an Arjun Tendulkar over which went for 31 runs, and the momentum totally shifted after that."

Arjun Tendulkar beginning to settle in the MI lineup

Making his debut in the IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 22nd game of the tournament, all eyes were set on Arjun Tendulkar. Being the son of one of the greatest batters of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, it was only natural that the fans would expect similar things from the 23-year-old.

In the three games that Arjun has featured in so far, he has taken two wickets for Mumbai Indians. Despite a setback in the previous game against Punjab Kings, where he bowled the second most expensive over by a Mumbai bowler, the pacer would be keen on making a comeback in the forthcoming games.

For their next assignment, Mumbai Indians travel to Ahmedabad, where they take on the defending champions Gujarat Titans in the 35th game of the tournament on Tuesday, April 25. After a loss against Punjab, the Rohit Sharma-led side would look to get back to winning ways.