Former India cricketer Yograj Singh has launched a passionate defence of Arjun Tendulkar's batting abilities, claiming the young all-rounder is being coached incorrectly and that his talent with the willow is "criminally underrated." The father of Yuvraj Singh argues that while excessive focus is placed on Arjun's left-arm bowling, his true strength lies in his batting, which he says resembles that of his legendary father, Sachin Tendulkar.
"He Is Basically a Batsman": Yograj's Stark Revelation
In a revealing interview with Ravish Bisht, Yograj Singh detailed how Arjun spent about two weeks at his training camp. He was initially asked to simply look after the youngster. "They told me to take care of him, and I assured them not to worry," Yograj recalled. The session took an unexpected turn when Arjun was hit by a ball. After a medical check-up confirmed he was fine, Yograj asked him to pad up for some batting practice, a suggestion that surprised Arjun.
"He told me they do not focus on his batting," Yograj revealed, expressing his astonishment. Having never seen him bat, Yograj took him to the indoor nets. What he witnessed left him impressed. "He was on fire, hitting balls all across the park," he said. Yograj immediately questioned Arjun's coach about the lack of batting focus, stating plainly, "I also told him that Arjun is a high-quality batsman who bats like his father used to."
A Plea to Mumbai Indians and the Ranji Validation
Yograj Singh's advocacy for Arjun's batting didn't stop at the nets. He took his case directly to Arjun's former Indian Premier League franchise, the Mumbai Indians. "I asked the management to let him open for a few games, but they didn't listen," he stated, highlighting a sense of frustration that his advice was ignored by the IPL giants.
The veteran cricketer's belief in Arjun's potential was vindicated shortly after. Following his intensive batting week at Yograj's academy, Arjun Tendulkar went on to score a century on his Ranji Trophy debut for Goa against Rajasthan in 2022, batting at number seven. This feat mirrored his father Sachin's own debut century in first-class cricket. Apart from this century, Arjun also has two fifties in red-ball cricket.
The Statistical Reality and the Unseen Potential
On paper, Arjun Tendulkar's batting averages are modest. He currently averages 21.37 in First-Class cricket, 18.25 in List A matches, and 13.50 in T20s. These figures are often cited to assess his all-round utility. However, Yograj Singh's comments suggest that these statistics may not reflect his true capability, as he hasn't been consistently groomed or positioned as a primary batter.
Yograj's core argument is a critique of the modern coaching system surrounding the young Tendulkar. "You are focusing only on his bowling, what are you doing? What has happened? There are so many coaches; what are they doing? He is basically a batsman," he asserted. His intervention paints a picture of a talented player whose primary skill is being overlooked in favour of a secondary one, a situation he finds baffling given the pedigree and the flashes of brilliance he witnessed firsthand.
