Playing more “back and forth” is a safer way for hitters to succeed at bouncy pitches in Australia, says former India captain
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes several hitters are suffering a concussion after taking a hit to the helmet due to “frontal pressure” on the trigger movement. According to Gavaskar, one of the best test starters, the best way to avoid a hit to the head is to play with the rear foot, where the batter can “ride” the rebound and has more options to respond with greater confidence.
Since Australian batsman Phillip Hughes died in 2014 as a result of being knocked down by a goalie, who played too early, the dangers associated with concussion have been more closely analyzed in cricket. However, in the last month, there have been several cases of hitters hit in the head, some of them suffering concussions. That list includes Indian off-roader Ravindra Jadeja, who was ruled out of the final two matches of the T20I series, having topped his helmet in the first match of the series. The following week, Victoria batter Will Pucovski, who is only 22, missed a possible test debut against India in Adelaide, after suffering a concussion during a multi-day warm-up game, the ninth of his career. .
In contrast, despite never having worn a helmet, Gavaskar said he was hit only once in the head throughout his career, by West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall, during a test match. “Today has more to do with the fact that everyone has this front press, where they are technically moving forward, which is a bit difficult, and that’s why on bouncing shots you have [batsmen struggling]”Gavaskar said on Monday.
Gavaskar spoke on a Sony broadcaster program, along with former Australian captain Allan Border, as he introduced the series of four tests between Australia and India, which begins with the day-night test in Adelaide on Thursday. “In Australia you want to ride the rebound, stand back to be able to ride the rebound, which is not what a lot of people are doing today,” Gavaskar said. “They’re so on their front foot that they can’t transfer their weight and then get out of the way. As a hitter, you tend to get a little bit blocked.”
According to Gavaskar, a safer way for hitters to be successful on the inflatable courts in Australia was to play more “backwards.”
“Look, Virat Kohli plays [the] gorilla so good. Why do you play the goalkeeper so well? Because he has that back and forth movement, so he’s waiting with his back foot for that short ball. Rahul Dravid, used to wait on his back foot [to play] upside down. Sachin Tendulkar had minimal frontal pressure, not great frontal pressure. Therefore, he was still balanced when playing short ball. “
Playing back and forth has a distinct advantage, as former Australian player Ashley Mallett noted in her column for ESPNcricinfo in 2019. “Against fast bowling, a first move back and forth allows the batter to enter behind the flying line “. Mallet wrote. “If the ball is wide, you can allow it to pass, but you can hook a short ball that goes over the stump of your leg if you are on your back and on your stumps, with your head within the line of flight. This technique is excellent. because even if he makes a mistake and misses the ball, his head is on the line and out of harm’s way. “
Gavaskar underscored Mallet’s point. “It’s just a small technical issue which is why a lot of these people get hit in the helmet. Most of the time, hitters who get hit in the helmet are between the crease: where their front foot is off the crease and your back foot in the crease. You will rarely find a hitter taking a hit if both feet are in the crease, close to the stumps, because you’ve given the batter that extra meter to duck under the ball or move outside But that is not what is happening and that is why I think they are being beaten. “
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor of ESPNcricinfo
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