IPL 2020: Sachin Tendulkar reacts to Virat Kohli almost applying saliva on the ball against DC

Two sides which have done well so far– Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals– locked horns in Match 19 of IPL 2020 at Dubai International Stadium. Both robust-looking sides have clinched three wins and are in the race to secure the top spot in the points table.

RCB skipper Virat Kohli, after winning the toss, elected to bat first as fans witnessed the usual DC duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw making its way to the middle. Prithvi, who was looking in sublime touch, hit a flurry of boundaries to steer Delhi to a steady start.

Kohli, meanwhile, caught the eyes of the fans after he inadvertently almost applied saliva on the ball. The RCB captain was fielding at short cover when he almost violated the interim ICC regulation. In the wake of Covid-19 outbreak, the ICC has announced a temporary ban on applying saliva to the ball.

Sometimes instincts take over: Sachin Tendulkar

The incident happened on the third ball of the third over which was bowled by Navdeep Saini. Shaw pulled off a sublime drive but Kohli didn’t let it go past him. After pulling off an impressive fielding effort, the RCB skipper forgot the rule and was about to apply saliva on the ball. But he instantly realized his mistake and burst into laughter before passing the ball to his teammate.

Kohli was just to apply saliva 😂#RCBvDC pic.twitter.com/8yaYZOltOQ

— Not BABA Does Isolation (@BabaLoveCricket) October 5, 2020

The picture of Kohli’s hilarious on-field moment started doing rounds on social media in no time. Fans were also left in splits after seeing the RCB skipper’s reaction.

Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar also tweeted about Kohli’s ‘million-dollar’ reaction on the field. Tendulkar also pointed out how instincts take over a player’s mind. “What an incredible shot by @PrithviShaw there! A million-dollar reaction by @imVkohli after almost applying saliva on the ball. Sometimes instincts takeover!” tweeted Tendulkar.

What an incredible shot by @PrithviShaw there!

A million dollar reaction by @imVkohli after almost applying saliva on the ball.

Sometimes instincts takeover!😋

RCBvDC #IPL2020

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 5, 2020

This is not the first time when a player has forgotten about the saliva ban. Last week, Rajasthan Royals’ Robin Uthappa had also mistakenly used saliva on the ball while fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders. According to new ICC regulations, repeated use of saliva on the ball will lead in a 5-run penalty to the batting side. The umpires also have to clean the ball before the play resumes.