IPL 2020: Sachin Tendulkar’s game-changing moments (Match 21 to 27)
We are halfway past the IPL 2020. After so many matches and so many turnarounds, it has become easier to gauge every team’s likely position in the tournament. Along with the doubleheaders, the week gone by has produced a few scintillating encounters. Here are Sachin Tendulkar’s game-changing moments from a few of these matches.
KKR vs CSK – Match 21
Tendulkar stressed on the point that at Abu Dhabi and Dubai, teams winning the toss should always bat first. Kolkata captain Dinesh Karthik did that. They also sent Rahul Tripathi at the top which impressed the legend. According to the Master Blaster, Tripathi’s 81 was a tremendous knock in given conditions.
In reply, Chennai Super Kings were off to a flier. The chase looked like a cakewalk for them. As per Tendulkar, the game-changing moment was holding Sunil Narine for bowling at the death. The loss of Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu put CSK under pressure and KKR managed a fantastic victory.
SRH vs KXIP – Match 22
Tendulkar was immensely impressed by the opening partnership of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. The duo added 160 runs for the first wickets and demonstrated excellent communication between themselves along with their boundary hitting.
The opening stand between KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal was critical for Kings XI Punjab if they were to chase down 202. Both batsmen needed to fire to complete such a target. The run-out dismissal of Agarwal proved to be a game-changing moment as per Tendulkar. He was all praises for Rashid Khan’s bowling as well.
KXIP vs KKR – Match 24
According to the Master Blaster, Shubman Gill batted well but other Kolkata batsmen failed to pace their innings. Gill then added runs at an incredible pace with Dinesh Karthik joining him. Tendulkar admired Karthik for his 360-degree batting.
Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul managed their 3rd century partnership of the season at the top. Both batted well and in Tendulkar’s opinion, should have finished the game earlier. Prasidh Krishna and Sunil Narine bowled game-changing spell in the end to earn a two-run victory for KKR.
CSK vs RCB – Match 25
Royal Challengers Bangalore opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings which was the right decision according to Tendulkar. For him, the way Virat Kohli paced his innings of 90* was incredibly special. The fact that Kohli earned 50 of those runs by just running was special. Taking away 66 runs in the last four overs was the game-changing moment for the Master Blaster. He then praised the way Washington Sundar bowled in the Powerplay overs. Tendulkar was heavily impressed with the way Yuzvendra Chahal tackled MS Dhoni.
