Watching Virat Kohli play the classic cover drive or Rohit Sharma play the pull shot is a treat to the eyes. But apart from these traditional shots, a few players invented some innovative cricket shots, leaving everyone in awe.
While executing these innovative shots, these players displayed their out-of-the-box thinking, going beyond the traditional textbook shots.
So, here are the 5 innovative cricket shots invented by players.
1. Helicopter Shot | MS Dhoni
This shot doesn’t need any introduction, and I am sure you must have seen MS Dhoni execute flawless helicopter shots.
To execute this shot, a player must have a strong bottom hand and flick the yorker length ball over the ropes. The follow-through after the shot resembles the rotating blades of a helicopter.
And this is the perfect shot to counter the deadly yorkers bowled by bowlers in the slog overs.
2. Switch Hit | Kevin Pietersen
Imagine switching your stance at the last moment when the ball is approaching right at you. Sounds difficult, right?
Well, former English player Kevin Pietersen did this with ease and smacked the bowlers for fun. Pietersen switched his batting stance from right hand to left hand and took on the spinners to hit them for boundaries.
A few batters, like David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, have mastered it to change their stance and smash the ball towards the boundary in a few seconds.
Also Read | Evolution of Cricket Shots
3. Ramp Shot | Douglas Marillier
The ramp shot doesn’t require a batter to use much power. Rather, they use the pace of the ball and deflect it behind the wickets to score a boundary.
Zimbabwe’s Douglas Marillier was the first to play such a shot and showcase to the world that you don’t need to rely on textbook shots anymore.
Now a few players like Jos Buttler and Joe Root execute the ramp shot with finesse.
4. Reverse Scoop | AB de Villiers
It would be unjust not to mention AB de Villiers in this list of innovative cricket shots. The swashbuckling batter had the knack for smashing the ball in every part of the field.
No one could play shots like him, and one of them has to be his reverse scoop. ABD changed his grip to play a reverse shot and scoop it over the third man for a boundary.
5. Dilscoop | Tillakaratne Dilshan
The Dilscoop, invented by none other than Dilshan, is a bit similar to the ramp shot. The difference, however, is that the batter scoops the ball over the head of the wicketkeeper using the sheer pace of the ball.
And since there are no fielders right behind the keeper, the ball races to the boundary or sails over it. And Dilshan executed this shot against the best pacers, sending the ball flying over the ropes.
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