IPL 2020: Sachin Tendulkar’s Game-changing moments

IPL 2020 is continuously producing excellent contests one after the other. Delhi Capitals continued their surge in the tournament whereas Chennai Super Kings struggled to keep up with their reputation. Kolkata Knight Riders registered their first victory against Sunriseres Hyderabad while Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals fought an enthralling contest. Sachin Tendulkar in his series of IPL Game-changers analysed the last few IPL matches.

The Rahul-Agarwal show

The Indian legend was immensely impressed with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal’s performances against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah. The duo finds themselves in the top run-getters of this tournament. Both have scored a century each and are the only centurions in IPL 2020 thus far. Tendulkar praised them for their performance and explored the technical aspects of their batting.

Rahul and Agarwal both hold the bat handle loosely which allows them to cut the ball so well as per Tendulkar’s observations. A firm bottom hand inhibits the batsman from hitting in the third man region. However, Rahul and Agarwal have scored runs in all areas. They could have still added a few runs in the death overs thus setting an even higher target.

The game-changing moment for RR

Sanju Samson and RR captain Steve Smith laid a solid foundation for the Royals with their excellent strokeplay. The game-changing moment according to Tendulkar was Rahul Tewatia smashing Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over. Cottrell’s length in that over left Tendulkar perplexed as to why he did not deploy yorkers consistently. At Sharjah, the slower balls are the easiest to hit since they skid off the surface. Punjab bowlers needed to change their lengths and angles as per the cricketing legend.

Return of Pat Cummins

The most expensive overseas sighing in IPL’s history, Pat Cummins had struggled in his first match against Mumbai Indians with the ball. The Australian pacer conceded 49 runs in his three overs. However, he made a sterling return in the match against Surisers Hyderabad. Tendulkar lauded the lengths opted by Cummins versus KKR and adjudged him as the game-changer of the match. The legend also praised Shubman Gill for batting through the innings and finishing the game for his side.