Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja star in cricket's 5 most stunning moments of 2020

The year 2020 was full of surprises with the world facing the wrath of the coronavirus for a major part of the year. The sporting world was severely affected by the pandemic and cricket was no exception. The cricketing action in India was absent for as many as seven months which is why this year the Indian team did not get to play a lot of it. However, during the little cricket that happened for the world to witness in 2020, there were several moments which left fans in awe. As the year comes to an end, we take a look at the five most stunning cricketing moments of 2020.

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5. Jofra Archer's 30-run over against Chennai in IPL 2020

Archer scored as many as 30 runs off Lungi Ngidi in the final over of his innings against Chennai. The Englishman made his intentions clear from the first ball of the over as he picked up a slow one from Lungi Ngidi and swung his arms to smash the ball for a six over the long-off fielder who was a mere spectator to Archer's sheer power. With a change of field in the next ball, Lungi Ngidi pitched the ball a little short to Archer, who was waiting for the length as he went over the square leg fielder this time to send the ball out of the park. Jofra Archer once again showcased his mighty hitting prowess as he hit his third six in a row, this time over long-on.

To make matters worse for the South African bowler, the sirens went up as it was a huge no-ball. The next ball also saw the same result as the ball sailed over the ropes in yet another no-ball from Lungi Ngidi. The speedster followed it up with a wide as he leaked 27 runs in 2 legal deliveries. The Rajasthan unit scored 30 runs in the last over courtesy of Jofra Archer's onslaught.

4. Ravindra Jadeja's acrobatic catch against New Zealand

Ravindra Jadeja, who is considered one of the best fielders in cricket produced a moment of magic to get rid of Neil Wagner in the second Test between India and New Zealand in February. It all happened on the last delivery of the 72nd over when Wagner hooked a short delivery from speedster Mohammed Shami. At first, it looked like the shot would go for a six. However, it cased as Jadeja did his thing at the square leg boundary. Standing a few feet away from the boundary, Jadeja timed his leap to perfection before grabbing the ball with one hand to display a stellar attempt.

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3. Nicholas Pooran boundary save

Nicholas Pooran showcased brilliant athleticism on the field by preventing a six during the Dream11 IPL 2020 league match between Rajasthan and Punjab in Sharjah. It all happened when Rajasthan batsman Sanju Samson played a pull shot in the eighth over off Murugan Ashwin while chasing a humongous target of 224. The ball was travelling over the midwicket boundary and that's when Pooran, who was stationed at the deep midwicket fence, dived full length over the rope to catch the ball. However, after getting hold of the ball, Pooran realized he wouldn't be able to come inside the boundary line so he threw the ball back inside the boundary line while being in the air to save his team crucial five runs.

2. Rohit Sharma winning record IPL titles as captain

Rohit Sharma's Mumbai won the Dream11 IPL 2020 after beating Delhi by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. Courtesy of their emphatic win, the Mumbai IPL title count went up to five. Notably, all of Mumbai's IPL triumphs have come under Rohit which makes him the record-holder of winning most IPL titles (5) as captain. The Mumbai outfit also became the second team in the league's history to successfully defend their Dream11 IPL title after Chennai did it in 2011.

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1. Two Super Overs game in IPL 2020

Mumbai and Punjab played a thrilling match during IPL 2020 which had all the possible drama there could be in a cricket match. The game ended in a tie after 40 overs which enforced the winner to be decided through a Super Over. However, the Super Over also ended on level terms which resulted in another Super Over where it was KL Rahul's men who held their nerves and emerged victorious in the nail-biting contest.

Mumbai scored 176/6 in their 20 overs, a score which was above par on the tricky Abu Dhabi wicket. In response, Punjab got off to a flier as they raced to 51/1 at the end of the powerplay with KL Rahul and Chris Gayle going strong. The Punjab franchise played calculated cricket and kept up with the run rate. However, in the end, they faltered a bit which gave Mumbai a chance to come back into the game.

With 9 runs to win off the final six balls, Trent Boult bowled a stunning over to end Punjab's innings on 176/6. In the first Super Over both teams tied after scoring five runs. In the second Super Over, Mumbai set a target of 12 for Punjab to chase which was tracked down by Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal with two balls to spare.

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SOURCE: PUNJAB IPL, ROHIT SHARMA INSTAGRAM & NZC YOUTUBE