Sachin Tendulkar may loath strategy breaks during the Indian Premier League matches but former India opener Navjot Sidhu finds nothing wrong in it, saying the it could actually help if used appropriately.
Sachin Tendulkar may loath strategy breaks during the Indian Premier League matches but former India opener Navjot Sidhu finds nothing wrong in it, saying the it could actually help if used appropriately.
Sidhu said commercial benefits could have driven the idea but he still believed that it is not something without virtue.
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"Twenty20 is a compressed and shortened form of cricket and you need time to execute your plans on the field. The extra time given after 10 overs as a strategy break should come in handy if it is tactically used," Sidhu said.
The seven-and-a-half minute strategy break, introduced in the second edition of IPL, created a buzz in the cricketing fraternity with many players questioning its worth.
The players said the break ends up breaking the momentum of the game with batsmen at the receiving end.
Many former cricketers criticised the idea as a pure money making exercises through extra this advertisement slot but Sidhu sees no wrong in it.
"The commercial angle cannot be denied but it also serves as a break in which teams can regroup and analyse the match situation, which is so vital in any format of the game," the cricketer-turned-politician said.
Speaking about his favourite team in the second edition of the event, Sidhu said he backed Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals but Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils too were title contenders.
On being asked about missing commentary in the IPL, he quipped, "I don't miss anything, I have done enough commentary to not rue the fact of being a part of the commentary team in South Africa.
Sidhu also believes that Indian team has the wherewithal to defend it Twenty20 World Cup title.
"The current Indian team has a great combination with a lot of young blood. They are kind of fixed deposits which can be encashed anytime, and all of them are in great form and are match winners," he said.
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