Signature shots of cricket players – There many in line to who had started reinventing themselves that brought out the top shots with some imaginative names.
Long before England cricket hero Kevin Pietersen or ‘KP’ invented the much innovative ‘Switch Hit’ in international cricket, there were others in line to who had started reinventing themselves that brought out the top shots with some imaginative names. Here’s a look back at the finest innovators in cricket and their signature shots that took the world of cricket by storm:
MS Dhoni – Helicopter shot
Not just here in India but internationally as well, MS Dhoni’s ‘helicopter shot’ won over many fans due to it’s unique style of hitting the ball. Especially the bowlers at the death feared MSD a lot since the former knew, the Indian skipper would launch them out of the park.
Kevin Pietersen – Switch hit
Even though many veteran cricketers criticised the shot offered from Kevin Pietersen, his ‘switch hit’ went down well with the younger lot. Most of the younger generations called it a ‘way forward’ whereas the ex-cricketers called it as a distraction to the bowlers.
Tillakaratne Dilshan – Dilscoop
In his 293-ODI matches, Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan never tried a creative shot like pulling the ball over the head but the former created a craze once the ‘dilscoop’ came into being. Dilshan tried this shot especially in the T20 internationals but has used it in the 50-over format as well. Test matches? Will he?
Douglas Marillier – Ramp shot
Well, Dilshan was the inventor of the ‘dilscoop’ then what did Douglas Marillier deserve? The Zimbabwean all-rounder was known to drive the ball down to short-leg for a four or a six especially if it was a low-full toss yorker.
Sachin Tendulkar – Upper cut
How could this list do without the ‘Master Blaster’? Indian batting hero Sachin Tendulkar was always known to play the upper cut with much panache and he especially used this shot during the Australian tours where the ball bounced especially when its Brett Lee and Peter Siddle.
Rahul Dravid – Cover drive
Special mention also goes out to Rahul Dravid aka ‘The Wall’ who in his initial years used the cover drive with greater ease. No better than Rahul to use the ‘cover drive’ against the off-spinners or the medium-pacers.
