5 cricketers who have attempted playing the Helicopter shot

Modern day cricket has seen batsmen come up with many innovative shots, the ‘Switch Hit’ and the ‘Dilscoop’ being just a couple. However, one of the first improvisations that most batsmen try to execute nowadays, especially at the end of an innings in limited-overs cricket, is the Helicopter shot.Current Indian captain MS Dhoni was the first player to play the shot with a great amount of success in limited-overs cricket. He learned the shot while playing tennis ball cricket in his hometown from a friend, much to the agony of bowlers around the world.While no one plays the stroke with the efficiency of Dhoni, there have been a few others, both in the past and recently, who have tried their hand at playing the shot.Here are 5 cricketers who have attempted playing the stroke, albeit with mixed success:

#1 Abdul Razzaq

6 years before MS Dhoni played it for the first time, Abdul Razzaq, in a Test against England in 2000, tried the shot off the bowling of left-arm spinner Ashley Giles. The shot might not have got him six runs, but it certainly did fetch him a four. The attempt by Razzaq, however, was very close to Dhoni’s, with the whip of the bat after he met the ball bearing striking resemblance to the Indian captain’s follow-through when he plays the stroke. Watch the video here.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar

India were playing England in a One-Day International (ODI) at Chester-le-Street in Durham in 2002. Sachin Tendulkar had just reached his 1st ODI ton against England in England, immediately after which he tried his hand at the shot.

Tendulkar couldn’t get the timing right on the first occasion, although the ball did end up going for four. Off the very next ball, he tried it again, and this time, it turned out to be a much closer effort to the helicopter shot as we know it today, but he did not get the desired result.

#3 Mohammad Shahzad

India were playing Afghanistan in the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012. Chasing 160 under lights, Afghanistan wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad played the helicopter shot off the bowling of Zaheer Khan. The shot left everyone at the stadium amused, including Dhoni himself.

While the shot didn’t have the same panache as Dhoni’s, the Afghani deserves a 9 out of 10 for his effort alone.

#4 Ben Cutting

In a domestic ODI in Australia earlier this year, Australian speedster Ben Cutting displayed his batting skills when he nonchalantly played a helicopter shot in the final over of the innings.

The commentators were mightily impressed with the shot, which is completely understandable as his attempt was as close to perfection as one can get.

#5 Virat Kohli

There must be something about the air in Ranchi that even Virat Kohli, who generally adopts a conventional approach while batting and does not try anything too fancy, was compelled to play the helicopter stroke during the 5th ODI against Sri Lanka recently.

I suppose when you’re playing in MS Dhoni's hometown, it is hard to resist at least attempting the helicopter stroke.

Kohli, courtesy of the helicopter shot, dispatched Ajantha Mendis for an emphatic six over the long-on region when the match was reaching its conclusion. Although it did yield him the maximum, it would be fair to say that Kohli still needs some more practice before he can execute it correctly.