It was a joy to watch Ricky Ponting smoothly execute the Cricket Shots, much as it was to see Saurav Ganguly devastate the off-side field. Who can match Azharuddin’s deft batting or Rahul Dravid’s flawless defense? Top players have always had the ability to execute strokes exactly as they should be played. To make cricketing strokes appear as if they have come from the heavens, requires a true genius, and we have all been privileged to witness many such players.
However, a few people have chosen to go against the grain, politely disregarding the book in order to follow their instincts. To be effective, innovative shots necessitate thinking beyond all preconceived beliefs. Cricket has grown as a game in the current period, and we now see jaw-dropping originality and dynamism, particularly in the batting area.
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Paddle scoop – Douglas Marillier
Douglas Marillier was most likely the first player to have the guts to defy the rules. He scooped the ball over the field with his feet, which he got under the ball delivered on the off stump. And he did it against Glenn McGrath in the final over of Zimbabwe’s historic victory in Perth!
Dilscoop – Tillakaratne Dilshan
It’s a tried-and-true method of getting a batsman out by tempting him to play straight while the slip quadroon waited for the prey. However, the days of the batsmen being uncomfortable because of the difficult environment are long gone. Tillakaratne Dilshan created the Dilscoop to not only avoid but also score against the trap!
A subtle scoop over the keeper, utilizing the bowler’s pace and at the fine unmanned boundary—frustrating for the bowler who had just produced a superb delivery! The shot not only encouraged the fielding captain to have a man in front of the leg-slip, but it also created space on the square boundary.
Periscope – Soumya Sarkar
Most batsmen will leave a swinging ball at rib height well outside the off-stump alone. What most willow-yielders face, however, appears to be a chance for Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar! With minimal room to strike the ball, Sarkar utilizes his bat to lob the ball over the infield, a lethal shot to have on the power play.
Switch Hit – Kevin Pietersen
The switch hit is the reverse sweep’s most advanced version. This shot is so advanced that it easily clears the fence! Kevin Pietersen’s switch hit, which requires immaculate skill and ingenuity, requires the batsman to modify his stance completely—from right to left-handed or vice versa—in a fraction of a second to hammer the ball towards the boundary.
MS Dhoni’s helicopter shot
Isn’t it true that no one can clear the ropes on a Yorker? Before MS Dhoni decimated the ball 15 rows past the fence, that was a prevalent perception. A Yorker is the only weapon that can delay an onslaught in the last few overs when the ball is easy to hit.
Captain cool uses his raw might to compel a union of the ball with the sweet spot of his willow as the ball lands a few inches ahead of the crease. The ball is launched into the stands by a powerful flick of the bat and a massive follow through.
Uppercut – Sachin Tendulkar
Before Sachin Tendulkar introduced the uppercut, the off-side bouncer was unquestionably a ‘Jaffa.’ Shoulder-length ball, incredible speed, and a ferocious swing? It’s no problem. Tendulkar met the ball at its apex, angling the bat upwards to blast it into the stands, rather than playing the delivery with a flat bat. In the 2003 Cricket World Cup, his first match against Pakistan was utter gold!
Inside out
Deliveries targeted at the body are frequently impossible to play. The only choice is to play it on the on-side, but the scoreboard’s march was halted by a well-guarded leg-side field. But that left the other side exposed; all it took was a different intellect to exploit that weakness.
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Short arm jab – Paul Collingwood
Every batsman with a powerful arm should have this stroke in his arsenal. Paul Collingwood didn’t let a lack of room stop him from scoring quickly. Short arm jabs are similar to slogs but without the huge bat swing. Most of the time, a short but powerful jab of the bat can steer the ball to the fence. However, one flaw is that it is played with a cross-bat, which frequently results in an easy dismissal.
Paddle sweep
When a leg spinner manages to get a deft spin on the ball, it usually stays cautious’ time. On such days, the ball can spin a meter or even more, and the bowler’s eyes are trained on the batsman’s feet in order to maximize the scenario. Colin Cowdrey, the creator of the Paddle sweep, was the first to stop the threat “inputs from blog.playo.co”.
