Virat Kohli scored 2,595 runs across all formats at a whopping average of 86.50 in 2016. It was just the year he needed to prove right what was being said about him – that he belongs to an elite group of cricketers, that he is the next Sachin Tendulkar.
By his own admission, he is an old-school cricketer, of a more classical mould, which makes his dominance in the limited-overs format all that more fascinating. “For conventional players, who don’t slog, it is important to pre-meditate a bit. I nominate my areas – point, covers, square-mid-wicket and straight down the ground are my four main areas. I don’t think of too many shots. When the ball falls, my body is already there.”
At present, he is the best exponent of the cover drive in the world, his on-drive is a treat to watch, and he even pulls and cuts well. You rarely see him playing non-conventional shots however. Going into the future, with the evolution of the game, and his desire to the best at everything, you might see Kohli add a few shots to his game.
Here, we discuss 5 shots that Virat Kohli can add to his arsenal to make him an even more complete player -
The Dilscoop
The Dilscoop was a modified version of the scoop first played by Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan. So unique was the shot which involved picking up a ball on a length, getting under it and scooping it over the keeper’s head, that it came to be known as the ‘Dil-scoop’ ever since.
Dilshan first displayed this shot to the world in 2009’s World T20 after having admitted to having practiced the shot during the 2009 IPL.
The shot differs from a paddle sweep as it involves playing it exactly over the keeper’s head. Brendon McCullum is another who has used to shot to deadly effect over the years.
Reverse sweep
The reverse sweep is one of the toughest shots in the game to execute and requires much practice before one can truly master it. Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Mohammad invented the shot in the 1970s and it has been a popular shot ever since.
It is the opposite of a traditional sweep shot and thus automatically reverses the entire field, making it the nightmare for an opposition's skipper.
Modern superstar AB De Villiers is one of the best exponents of the shot, while a number of Pakistani cricketers have also adapted the shot pretty well over the years.
The reverse sweep gave birth to another shot, the switch hit.
Switch hit
While the reverse sweep was a terrific shot and helped to negate the threat of spinners while scoring a number of runs, it was incredibly hard to get any elevation on the shot and thus evolved in the modern game.
A switch hit involves changing the grip on the bat from a right hander’s grip to a left hander’s grip or vice versa, and thus, changing the stance as well.
England’s Kevin Pietersen pioneered the shot, and it has been used to deadly effect by David Warner in the recent past.
When the shot started getting popular, there was plenty of clamour about it giving an unfair advantage to the batsman, but the ICC ruled it as a legitimate shot in 2012.
Paddle sweep
The paddle sweep is a variation of the traditional sweep shot, and it relies on placement rather than the power that can be generated while playing a sweep shot.
The difference lies in the fact that a paddle sweep involves bringing the bat down on the ball and directing it towards fine leg, rather than the square and backward square regions.
There was no better exponent of the paddle sweep than India’s Sachin Tendulkar who used it to deadly effect over the years to negate the effect of the bowlers.
Modern day batsmen use the paddle sweep in a similar fashion to the Dilscoop, but try to get it towards the fine leg fence, where the focus is on getting down and scooping the ball up.
Helicopter shot
The helicopter shot has been immortalised by India’s MS Dhoni but is also being used more commonly in cricket now. The relevance of the shot has increased in modern-day cricket where there is a need to manufacture shots at all times.
The helicopter shot is played by trying to get under the ball and getting elevation on it using an incredible amount of bottom-hand power and wrist work.
The shot created the possibility of depositing a yorker into the fence, meaning the bowlers have nowhere to hide now.
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