The helicopter shots in cricket refer to striking the ball with a wristy flick while using the bottom hand as the main force. The flourish at the end of the stroke, as the bat is circled overhead, gives the shot its name. It has been regarded as a novel and unconventional stroke that, when used skillfully, can be used to score boundaries even against good yorkers or fuller deliveries, which are typically bowled by faster bowlers toward the conclusion of limited-overs matches because it is challenging to hit such balls to the boundary.
The helicopter shot was introduced to an international competition by the former captain of India, MS Dhoni. He frequently used that shot to score boundaries during slog overs, particularly when facing longer length and yorker deliveries. Santosh Lal, a boyhood friend, and fellow cricketer taught MSd how to play the helicopter shot before he made his debut in an international competition. The shot that Santosh taught MSd was originally known as the “thappad shot.” It was exactly like a slap, or thappad in Hindi. When the bowler unleashed a yorker delivery that was essentially unplayable in those days if you missed the flick, it was a tight slap on the leather.
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Dhoni learned from his friend that one could hit a six off a yorker by using the Thappad Shot. Although Dhoni may have invented the “helicopter shot,” there was a better player when he was younger. He had a batting style that Dhoni always loved. He was also taught how to play the helicopter shot by Santosh.
The “Switch Hit” and the “Dilscoop” are only two examples of the many creative shots that batters have developed in modern cricket. The Helicopter shot is one of the first improvisations that most batsmen today attempt, particularly at the conclusion of an innings in limited-overs cricket. MS Dhoni, the current captain of India, was the first cricketer to successfully use the shot in a limited-overs match. To the horror of bowlers everywhere, he learned the stroke from a pal while playing tennis ball cricket in his hometown.
There have been a few others who have tried their hand at playing the shot, both in the past and more lately, even if no one plays it with the effectiveness of Dhoni. Here are 5 cricketers who have tried the stroke, with varying degrees of success:
1. Abdul Razzaq
Abdul Razzaq attempted the shot off the bowling of left-arm spinner Ashley Giles in a Test match against England in 2000, six years before MS Dhoni played it for the first time. He may not have scored six runs with the hit, but he did score a four. However, Razzaq’s attempt was remarkably similar to Dhoni’s, with the bat whip after he met the ball strikingly like the Indian captain’s follow-through after playing the stroke.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
At Chester-le-Street in Durham in 2002, India and England were playing a One-Day International (ODI). 2 Sachin Tendulkar. After scoring his first ODI century against England in England, Sachin Tendulkar promptly tried his hand at the stroke.
Even though the ball ended up going for four on the first attempt, Tendulkar’s timing was off. He tried it again just after the next ball, and this time it came to a lot closer to the helicopter shot as we know it today, but he still didn’t obtain the desired outcome.
3. Mohammad Shahzad
In 2012, India and Afghanistan competed in a World T20 tournament in Sri Lanka. Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan played the helicopter shot off Zaheer Khan’s bowling while Afghanistan was chasing 160 under lights. Everyone in the stadium, including Dhoni, was amused by the shot.
Even though the shot lacked Dhoni’s elegance, the Afghani merits a 9 out of 10 just for his attempt.
4. Ben Cutting
Ben Cutting, an Australian speedster, showed off his batting prowess earlier this year in a domestic ODI in Australia when he casually hit a helicopter shot in the last over of the innings.
The shot left the pundits awestruck, which is quite natural given how close to perfection his attempt was.
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5. Virat Kohli
Even Virat Kohli, who often takes a conservative approach to bat and avoids trying anything too fancy, felt driven to use the helicopter stroke during the most recent fifth ODI against Sri Lanka. This suggests that there must be something peculiar about the air in Ranchi.
When you are competing in MS Dhoni’s hometown, I believe it is difficult to avoid at least trying the helicopter stroke.
When the game was about to close, Kohli sent Ajantha Mendis with a helicopter shot for a decisive six over the long-on area. Even though it gave him the greatest return, it’s fair to say that Kohli still needs to practice before he can carry it out well “inputs from www.sportskeeda.com”.
