da wazamba： Our writers pick unique shots invented or improved upon by current T20 batters
da bet7： 06-Oct-2022Suryakumar Yadav’s helicopter flick
T20.Other memorable renditions of the helicopter flick include one over fine leg off Alzarri Joseph in the first game of the same series, a sort of helicopter-shot-cum-scoop that smartly used Joseph’s pace against him, and a flick off his toes over deep square leg off Hong Kong’s Ayush Shukla in the 2022 Asia Cup.Glenn Maxwell switch-hit a ball 100 metres at Manuka Oval once•Getty ImagesGlenn Maxwell’s switch hit
. “It just went through my head and I was like, ‘That should work.'”Anything short outside off, Suryakumar brings out his ramp shot•Pankaj Nangia/Getty ImagesSuryakumar Yadav’s repertoire against the short ball
Shashank Kishore, senior sub-editorOld-school mantras tell you a short ball angling into a batter at 145kph leaves them with just two options: duck under it or take the bowler on with the hook. But Suryakumar Yadav does not believes in arcane rules. He’s instinctive and calculating all at once, and with hand-eye coordination to die for. His ability to pick the length early and get inside the line without losing his base allows him several options. The first is the full-blooded hook, which he memorably executed off the first ball he faced in International cricket, off Jofra Archer. It sailed way over the long-leg boundary. The second is the scoop. He watches the ball right till the end and, as it almost passes him, brings his wrists into play to hit it fine, between the wicketkeeper and short fine leg. Then there’s the ramp directly over the keeper’s head to short deliveries bowled outside off. The position of his head is beside the line, allowing him to watch the ball until the last moment, before the late twirl that sends the ball sailing over the ropes.