Unique batsmen and their unique shots

New Delhi: Gone were the days when a cricket coach would sweat it out in the sun teaching his students copy book style batting. A beginner would most likely to miss the eyes of the selectors if his cricket didn't reflect the basics. But over the years with introduction of more formats( ODI and T20) game has changed so has the ways some of our cricketers have adopted as far as shot selection is concerned.Upper cut shot, invented by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, is very difficult to execute in International cricket. Only two players from India are successful in playing upper cut quiet naturally Sachin and Virendra Sehwag. Whenever a fast bowler bowl a quicker bouncer Sachin would will cut it over the slips for a boundary or a six with at most ease. No one can forget Sachin upper cut off Brett Lee in Border-Gavaskar trophy 2007-2008.Upper cut is one of the favorite shots of Sachin Tendukar. Most of his upper cut came off from very first ball to upset the bowler.Baseball shot: Invented by West Indies legend Vivian Richards who broke all the rules a cricket enthusiast would read in a basics of cricket book. Richards would drag an out side the off stump ball, meant to be left alone or played on off side only, to the mid wicket with so much ease and power that one would wonder if he was watching cricket or baseball game. Once, while doing nets, Richards played the same shot. His coach was so furious that he came and asked him angrily “look where your foot is”?“Look where the ball has gone,” replied Richards.The helicopter shot: Invented by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is probably one of the most popular improvised shots of today. Dhoni would dig a yorker ferociously with the bat forming a whipping arc in the follow through. In more often than not this shot shot would yield desired result, that's a SIX. It is said that this shot was actually invented by Dhoni's childhood friend and first class cricketer Santosh Lal, who died recently. Dilscoop: Dilshan has taken one of the most difficult improvised shots Dilscoop in cricket and perfected it to such a degree that it now has his name attached to it.Sri Lankan right-handed batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan developed this shot during the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England. He would go on one knee to a good length or slightly short of length delivery off a fast or medium paced bowler and 'scoop' the ball over the head of the wicket keeper. The ball travels straight towards the boundary behind the wicket keeper.According to Dilshan he started practising this stroke against a bowling machine during his tenure for Delhi Daredevils at the 2009 Indian Premier League (IPL) held in South Africa. According to former Australian captain Ian Chappell he had never seen any batsman play the ball straight over the wicket keeper's head as Dilshan does.Switch shot was innovated by Kevin Pietersen. He would execute this shot by changing stance from a right-handed to a left-handed batsman during the bowler's run-up and hit it in the cover region. It is a variation of the reverse sweep. He used this shot in 2008 in one ODI against New Zealand. The shot has generated debate in the cricket world, some calling it as an outstanding display of skill and others arguing that if the batsman changes stance he gains an unfair advantage over the bowler, because the field is set based on the batsman's initial stance at the crease. However Pieterse still plays this shot with great perfection.