Journalism of Courage
Arjun Tendulkars name doesnt feature in the 30-member U-14 probables squad picked by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) junior selection committee. Tendulkar Jr was dropped after his lack of performances in the selection trials and other tournaments. The axe means that Arjun,who was part of the victorious Mumbai under 14 team last year he didn’t play a single game will not part of the off-season camp which will commence in the coming days.
The selectors were firm that he has not performed well and there was no reason to include Arjun. He needs to go back and perform again to be picked for Mumbai’s junior side, an MCA insider told The Indian Express.
In the summer vacation matches conducted by MCA,Arjun failed to cross the 50-run mark even once. The selectors later conducted another trial where the best batsmen from the summer vacation matches were pitted against best bowlers from Verroc Cup. There again,Arjuns poor form showed up as he was dismissed cheaply thrice in the practice games played at the Mulund Gymkhana.
Selectors have also cited Arjuns lack of intensity while on field as a stumbling block. When contacted,MCA joint-secretary PV Shetty,was unavailable while MCA junior selection committee chairman Ramesh Vajge refused to comment.
There are so many people involved with Arjun’s coaching but still his fielding is nowhere near todays standards. He needs to improve a lot in that area. His batting is fine but he needs to convert starts into big scores like the other promising young players, a selector said.
Sending a message
However,another major reason to drop Arjun was that selectors wanted him to realise that being Tendulkar’s son doesn’t mean he will have things easy. The decision was taken unanimously. We felt that this decision to drop him will change him for the better. Hopefully,in the next two years we might see a different Arjun. But for that to happen he needs to work harder an MCA insider said.
