13 Memorable and Signature Cricket shots

13 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 offside 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.

Also check: 12 Freakish cricketing shots which stunned the fans in pics

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.

Also check: 6 players who play the straight drive to perfection

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.

10. Upper cut – Rilee Rossouw (South Africa)

Rilee Russouw probably hit the shot of the on-going 2015 World Cup against West Indies. The bowler bowled a short bouncer on the off stump of Rossouw. Rossouw just gives himself some room, jumps in the air and cuts the ball over the head of the third man fielder straight into the crowd. The shot was hit while he was in mid-air and that gave this World Cup the moment it was waiting for.

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.

Quick Link: 10 best quotes on MS Dhoni’s captaincy by Cricketing Legends

13. 360° shots – AB de Villiers (South Africa):

The South African ODI skipper is known for his ability to integrate geometry and batting. With the talent he has, the confidence he carries, the amazing hand-eye-coordination he owns, gives him the liberty to do unimaginable, insane things while wielding the bat in hand. AB de Villiers who is widely regarded as the SuperMan of cricket today and the best batsman in modern day cricket plays shots all round the park creating various angles to hit the ball out of the park.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QA_JqrpFk

Also check: 11 quotes that applaud AB de Villiers the amazing cricketer