Published: May 01, 2011, 11:23 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2014, 11:07 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Innovation is something that has been a part of cricket right since its early days. Batsmen and bowlers have always attempted to discover new ways to play a shot or bowl a delivery to add more dimensions to their game and also to add a surprise element to their armory.
In this article I will concentrate on the innovation in batting which has come a long way since the time Ranji played the leg glance for the first time in the late 1800s to the T20 era, where batsmen are not afraid to go against the textbook.
Since the start of the 2000s, batting innovation has gathered pace. We have seen an array of new, unorthodox shots being played by batsmen who try to score boundaries where once it was thought impossible to hit them. We live in a very fast age where the rate of research and development has been faster than ever. Similarly, in the fast age of T20, the batsmen have upped their antennas to discover new shots and score at a much quicker rate. Let us have a look at some of the shots that have stunned audiences and bowlers alike.
Douglas Marillier played for Zimbabwe in the early 2000s as an off-spinning all-rounder. It wasn’t his overall batting that took everybody by surprise but just one shot. In an ODI against India at Faridabad, he single handedly took Zimbabwe to victory. He would walk across the stumps to the fast bowlers, convert the yorkers to full tosses and hit it very fine on the leg-side. He stunned the Indian bowlers with that shot and they just didn’t know where to bowl to him. Since then quite a few batsmen have tried this shot and have been successful, but the afternoon of March 7, 2002 would be remembered for the way Marillier used it to stun India and the day when it came to limelight.
The reverse hit is another innovative shot that has defied the logic of the purists. Made famous by Kevin Pietersen, he switches his stance to the opposite to play on his off side. The question that arises: Should the batsman reverting to the switch be considered a left-hander or right-hander? This has left people puzzled with arguments on both sides. However, it remains one of the most thrilling shots in world cricket. What a sight it is to see Pietersen hop and change his stance and hit the ball on the offside as if a left-hander is essaying it on the leg side! Sheer innovative brilliance!
One of the most dangerous shots to attempt is the ‘Dil-scoop.’ This is Tillakaratne Dilshan’s trademark shot where he goes on his knees and scoops the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head. It is a risky shot as there is a danger of either playing it on your own body or missing it altogether. One commentator remarked, “You can play this shot only if you got strong teeth or you have a very good orthodontist.” It is an even more thrilling sight to watch him play this shot against the fast bowlers.
Brendon McCullum plays a shot that’s a cross-breed between ‘The Marillier’ and the ‘The Dil-scoop.’ He walks across the stumps like Marillier and leaves the full face of the bat open facing the bowler and lifts the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head like Dilshan. He played this shot to great effect in his famous hundred in the first-ever IPL game. There is an element of risk in this shot like the Dil-Scoop and McCullum has lost his wicket a few times playing this shot but it will not stop him. In fact, he plays this shot successfully even against the fastest of bowlers like Shaun Tait.
When batmen play such shots, it catches the opposition unawares. The surprise element that these shots have is their biggest plus point. A good length ball may disappear over the wicket-keeper’s head or behind square on the leg side. When a batsman attempts such a shot and is successful it gets the captain of the other team thinking. For a shot like the Dil-scoop a fielding position is not an option as you cannot have one behind the wicket-keeper and also cannot risk having the fine leg or third man too fine. The only thing they can do is, bowl in the right areas and hope Dilshan misses it or scoops it straight up when he attempts to play his trademark. The McCullum scoop is also very similar but there are more chances of getting him bowled as he walks across the stumps, but if MCullum is playing this shot too often in an innings, the bowlers would have to pitch it right up there to have a chance against him.
Usually, McCullum and Dilshan attempt to play their surprise shots when they have got their eye in or have got off to a flier. Thus, as a captain of the other team it is even more frustrating to see them play orthodox shots and get runs and then attempt something really risky and get away with it.
Such shots can have a demoralizing effect on the other team as the batsmen seem to get away with everything. There is an element of risk and luck involved while playing such shots but as the saying goes, “Fortune favors the brave.” When the risk pays off the batsman becomes more confident and it makes the bowler tear his hair out. With better bats, more protection etc. the batsmen are willing to take such risks and we have seen the creation of such thrilling shots. We have to wait and see who brings the next new shot to the game. By the looks of it, it is only a matter of time.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 20-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him.”)
