12 Memorable and Signature Cricket shots: Cricket is
a visual sport like every other. The things that make a batsman
memorable is the style in which he bats. That’s something every young
fan emulates. Sachin’s stance, Ganguly’s back lift, Lara’s footwork
there is something unique and eye catching in every batsman who anyone
has seen in play. That special way of playing shots has been etched in
every fan’s; old or current mind.
Here we bring to you some of those particular shots that made the player memorable for us all.
(P.S: The list is not in any particular order)
1. Stepping out to spinner – Sourav Ganguly (India)
The Prince of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly was a nightmare to any spinner
or slow medium pacer. While his off side play is well known to everyone,
he was more famous for his ability to hit the ball out of the ground.
The sight of him skipping down the ground to a spinner or a medium pacer
and lifting the ball out of the ground towards mid-wicket or the cow
corner is something etched in every fan’s mind.
2. Cover and off drive – Rahul Dravid (India)
The Wall used to make batting look easy. Dravid was the epitome of
gentlemanliness in the game of cricket. Never to scream, never to engage
in abuse and always kept the team’s interest above everything else. His
best shot was cover and off drive. Front leg stretched in the direction
of where the ball will go, bat coming at a perfect angle, perfect
timing and result is ball racing towards the mid-off or covers boundary
like a bullet.
3. Switch Hit – Kevin Pietersen (England)
A Modern great of the game, Kevin Pietersen has scored the most runs
for England in international cricket. Currently in exile due to his
issues with the England and Wales cricket board; he still evokes the
innovation and aggressiveness he bought with his debut in 2005. The shot
he made famous or rather invented was the switch hit; where he changed
the grip of his bat from right handed to left handed and changed his
stance into a left handed batsman to hit the bowler like one. This shot
led to controversy and the MCC and the ICC had to bring in a new law to
validate the shot.
4. Cover drive – Brian Lara (West Indies)
Brian Lara had the most attractive batting style in cricket. His high
back lift and the way he crouched before unwinding into the shot was a
sight for sore eyes. He used to watch the ball till last minute and
unwound at the last possible time to hit the ball with full force. The
bat used to generate tremendous bat speed from the back lift and the
swing gave the power to the ball.
5. Awesome Reserve Lap – Eoin Morgan (England)
Well there are no words to this shot from Eoin Morgan from England.
He just stands there, changes the grip on the bat for a reverse sweep
and scoops a full and fast ball from Ravi Rampaul for a six over third
man. Even English Captain Paul Collingwood cannot stop laughing at the
audacity of the shot. The bowler is too stunned to give any reaction,
while West Indies captain Chris Gayle just shrugs.
6. Reverse Sweeps – Glen Maxwell (Australia)
Glen
Maxwell, the newest big hitter on the block has perfected the reverse
sweep to the extent that now most of his shots go over the boundary.
Maxwell plays in one gear only and does not have a blocking mechanism.
He hits it out of the ground or gets out. Most often he gets it correct
and people get to enjoy the show.
7. Straight Drive – Sachin Tendulkar (India)
The little master had all the strokes in the book and could play all
of them beautifully. But the shot that he loved to play and looked like
the God of cricket was the straight drive. The fast bowler coming in at
full steam and letting go a fast one, while Sachin just plants his front
foot forward and brings down his 3 pund heavy bat down on the ball
meeting it in the sweet spot of the bat and sending it back near to the
umpire at the other end past the bowler and the non-striker.
The sight of him hitting that shot reminded everyone why the entire
cricket world including the players, fans, and coaches loved him,
respected him and feared his batting talent.
8. The Pull and hook shots – Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Former
Australian skipper and the player to score the second most runs in Test
cricket, Ricky Ponting was the master of pull and hook shots. He played
for Tasmania and was brought up playing his cricket on the bouncy pitch
at the Hobart and mastered the hook and pull in his early years. He
could play the shot of the front foot and the back foot off any bowler.
9. DilScoop – Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)
Tillakaratne
Dilshan invented a completely new and risky shot called Dil Scoop.
Dilshan goes on one knee to a full ball and laps it over his head behind
the wicket keeper for either a four or a six. The danger of the shot is
that if he misses it, he can also lose some of his teeth despite
wearing a helmet. Nonetheless, the shot is exciting and brings the much
needed fun in the game of cricket.
11. The shots of World Cup 2003 – Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag (India)
The high tension India Pakistan match in the 2003 World Cup gave us
these 2 shots from the two Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin
Tendulkar. Both shots were hit off the fastest bowlers of their time
Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis. These two shots are termed as the shots
of not only the 2003 World Cup, but are part of the highlight reel that
is shown in every cricket video and the most recognisable shots in world
of cricket.
12. The Helicopter – MS Dhoni (India)
MS Dhoni’s entry into the world of cricket has been a revelation of
sorts. He came in sporting long hair, a give-a-damn attitude and a game
that begged a different category. He was brash and arrogant in his
batting style, bludgeoning sixes and fours with brute power and force
behind them He showed his intentions against Sri Lanka in ODI making
183* with 10 sixes, all of them huge. He also invented a new shot,
hitting yorkers out of the ground with a whirl of bat to end the shot to
give power to the shot. The commentators dubbed it the ‘Helicopter
Shot’ and it has been a staple of his arsenal of shots for making runs
against quick bowlers.
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