Top 5 unorthodox cricketing shots that changed batting dynamics

Cricket was most of the years played a certain way and the traditionalists used to feel pride in keeping the traditions of the game intact and used to refrain from trying new things. But cricket has evolved and now with the advent of T20 cricket, the landscape of the game has changed and it has become pretty fast and innovative.

Whether it is batting, bowling, or fielding every facet of the game has gone through innovations which was made the game more interesting but one facet of the game which has gone to the next level in terms of innovation has been batting. 

In today’s commercial cricketing set-up both the audiences and players are preferring short-format cricket over the longer one and excessive T-20 and league cricket has resulted in some drastic innovation in batter’s batting skills. In a fast-paced cricket era, the batters have taken their batting skills to another level and have added a repertoire of new shots in their armoury which has tilted the game heavily. Let’s discuss some unorthodox shots that have become an important part of modern-day batting:

1. Reverse Sweep

In modern cricket, one trick that a bowler implements is to pack one side of the field which is usually the leg side, and make the batter his into the hands of the fielders if they want a boundary or a six. But to counter it, the batters have started to reverse-sweeping the ball more frequently towards the off side where there are gaps.

Mastering this shot has helped the batters to negate the impact of spinners in the middle overs and open more scoring options for themselves. To execute a reverse sweep, the batter sweeps the ball from leg to the off-side with a horizontal bat either in the gap or over the off-side fielders which are in the thirty-yard circle. Glenn Maxwell is the modern contemporary batter who plays the reverse sweep shot to perfection.

2. Ramp shot

As cricket is evolving and getting fast, the scoring pace has gone up and the batters are getting smarter in terms of their options for getting runs, especially towards the back end of an innings. But no matter how good a hitter you are, a perfect Yorker is still a lethal weapon every bowler has in the death if executed properly.

To counter it, batters have added the ramp shot to their armoury which can get them runs even on lethal Yorkers. To execute a ramp shot you need to get under the ball as much as possible and play the ball towards the fine leg or third man region with an angled bat. Paying the ball late and timing the ball to perfection are the two most important things needed to execute this shot. AB de Villiers among the contemporary batters used to execute this shot pretty well.

3. Switch hit 

It is one of the most controversial yet innovative inventions of modern-day batting. A switch hit is an updated version of a reverse sweep and is played more or less the same way as a reverse sweep. But one major adjustment you make while playing this shot is the adjustment of your grip and your stance

If you are a right-hander, then you switch to a left-handed grip and switch your stance like a left-hander just before the bowler releases the ball and hits it over the off-side fielders in the gap. The purpose is the same as a reverse sweep shot just the execution changes. Kevin Pietersen from England popularized this shot in cricket.

4. Helicopter shot

Undoubtedly one of the most iconic shots in the Indian subcontinent, the helicopter shot rose to immense popularity through the masterful execution of MS Dhoni. This unorthodox stroke, often used to counter yorker-length deliveries, demands immense skill and technique.

In modern cricket, this shot is one of the potent weapons to counter Yorkers all you need to do is get underneath the ball and use your strong wrists to hit the ball out of the boundary. MS Dhoni is the pioneer of this shot in international cricket.

5. Upper Cut 

Easily the most common shot on this list, the uppercut is a stylish and effective way to deal with a bouncer bowled outside off-stump. The batsman, typically positioned slightly low, allows the ball to pass them on the side before unleashing a quick swing with an open bat face. This cheeky manoeuvre guides the ball over the slip cordon, often resulting in a thrilling boundary or even a six.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar famously employed this unorthodox shot with grace and power, even in the longer format of Test cricket. Other Indian batsmen like Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan have also incorporated the uppercut into their arsenal, making it a staple stroke in modern-day cricket.