"This time, a Tendulkar opened the bowling instead of batting"- Sachin Tendulkar thanks Abhishek Bachchan in a funny Twitter exchange

Arjun Tendulkar's long-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for the Mumbai Indians (MI) came in their victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday, April 16. The debut was followed by congratulatory messages from former cricketers and other luminaries from all over the country.

One such was from Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, who expressed his joy at being able to witness a 'Tendulkar' on the cricket field once again.

The Little Master responded by thanking Abhishek for his best wishes but also adding that a 'Tendulkar' opened the bowling instead of batting this time.

Here's the Twitter exchange between the two of them:

Arjun Tendulkar bowled two overs in the powerplay and conceded 17 runs without picking up a wicket. The 23-year-old's debut made him and Sachin the first father-son duo to play in the IPL.

Sachin Tendulkar represented the Mumbai franchise as a player from 2008-2013 before becoming a mentor for the franchise.

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"I feel you might not see Arjun Tendulkar playing here" - Aakash Chopra

Mumbai Indians and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will clash against each other in a battle to move into the top half of the points table at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, April 18.

In a video for his YouTube channel, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra reckoned that Arjun Tendulkar might not feature in MI's playing XI against SRH.

"I feel there will be a few changes in bowling here. You will not see Duan Jansen. You will see either Jason Behrendorff or Jofra Archer if he is available. Riley Meredith will be there in any case. I feel you might not see Arjun Tendulkar playing here, there is a strong possibility," he said.

Chopra also believes that MI will tinker with their spin bowling attack based on the number of right-handers SRH have in their batting lineup.

There will be some changes in spin bowling as well," the cricketer-turned-commentator added. "Either Kumar Kartikeya or Shams Mulani can play this match because Hyderabad have so many right-handers.

"You would want to bowl a lot of spin that is taking the ball away. So Piyush Chawla or Kumar Kartikeya in front of Harry Brook and a lot of spin in the powerplay overs itself."

The two sides are entering the contest following a similar trajectory so far in IPL 2023, losing their first two games before winning the next two. Both teams find themselves in the second half of the points table and a win would go a long way for either team to be in the race for a top-four finish.