10 iconic cricketers who immortalised their trademark cricketing shots

It requires a lot of practice to master the art of playing cricketing strokes with ease. In the last few years, it has been witnessed how batters invented new shots to upgrade their batting skills as per the demands of the changing times. Recently, Suryakumar Yadav garnered appreciation for possessing the skill of playing a scoop shot with control. After getting famous for the wonderful stroke, he was even compared to South Africa’s AB de Villers and was also hailed as the new 360-degree batter in international cricket.

Like Suryakumar, back in the 70s and the 80s, the West Indies great Viv Richards also drew attention due to his extraordinary batting technique. During those days, the fabled batter got famous for hitting bowlers for boundaries with his exceptional hook shot playing potential. This iconic stroke became his signature shot which still continues to be recalled in association with the great.

Similarly, there have also been some batters who have etched their names in the minds of their supporters, with their trademark shots. We take a moment to celebrate 10 such iconic batsmen and their equally popular shots.

Here are 10 batters and their signature shots:

10. Babar Azam

Babar Azam is counted among the greatest batters of the modern day cricket. He is often seen at par with batting maestros such as Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Joe Root due to his exceptional batting talent. In his brief career, he has pulled off some amazing records and has often come to be seen as a messiah of Pakistan cricket, undertaking its renaissance in world cricket.

Delving deeper into his batting capability, one can see the control he exercises over his shots when the stylish batter plays cover drives. Back in 2021, while having a conversation with his teammate Imam-ul-Haq, Babar had said that cover drive is his favourite shot and he was inspired to play it by the legendary South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers.

All throughout his career, Babar has received appreciation for his cover drives, even being compared to Kohli when it comes to mastering the ball's play in the covers. Recently, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, when South African batsman David Miller was was asked to choose between the cover drives of Kohli and Azam legends, he preferred the Pakistan skipper’s cover drive over that of Kohli.