Arjun Tendulkar's lack of form costs him a place in Under-14 probables list

Arjun Tendulkar's name was missing from the list of Under-14 probables picked by the Mumbai Cricket Association junior selection committee, according to a report in Indian Express. His poor form in the selection trials and other tournaments reportedly contributed in his exclusion from the 30-memeber squad. This effectively means that Arjun, who was part of the victorious Mumbai under-14 team last year, will not part of the off-season camp which will commence this week.

"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," said a source was quoted as saying.

Arjun's iffy form was evident from the fact that he failed to score a single fifty in the summer vacation matches conducted by the MCA. In another trial conducted by the selectors between the best batsmen from the summer games and the Verroc Cup bowlers, Arjun again failed to make an impact.

Selectors have also cited Arjun's lack of intensity while on the field as a stumbling block. "There are so many people involved with Arjun's coaching but still, his fielding is nowhere near today's 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.

The primary reason to drop Arjun however, was for him to understand the fact that the selectors would not go easy on him just because he is Sachin Tendulkar's son.

"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.