After the 19th over of the Delhi Capitals innings, it seemed a score of 250 was genuinely on the cards. An accurate last over from Andre Russell restricted Delhi to 228. Despite Russell’s heroics with the ball, Delhi still managed to carve out 77 from the last five overs. A couple of hours later, Kolkata Knight Riders hammered 74 from the 30 balls, but still fell 18 runs short of the target.
Stop and let those numbers sink in.
On 21 occasions, a bowler has conceded more than 20 runs in a single over this season. Such has been the evolution of power-hitting that teams genuinely believe scoring 15 runs an over in the death overs is a legitimate prospect.
The dimensions of the Sharjah ground, a featherbed pitch and big busty bats are the primary reasons, but as Shreyas Iyer showcased last night, it is also about generating the muscle to clout the ball over 70 meters on a consistent basis.
Iyer is a prototype for modern day batting. Among all the new generation of Indian cricketers, he is the best at holding his shape and hitting through the line of the ball. Last night, Iyer hammered 13 boundaries, the majority of which were in front of square. He is a batsman who always looks to hit straight. Even if he is slicing balls behind point or flicking a yorker past short fine leg like he did to a Pat Cummins yorker at the end of the innings.
Iyer’s first intention is to hit the ball in the 'V', either in the air or along the ground. Perhaps, that is the reason he has been able to excel and score freely both in the shorter and longer format of the game. The attacking instincts are natural, but his setup at the crease also allows him to get into power positions easier than others.
Firstly, Iyer has a sound base. His feet are spread out shoulder width. There is no shuffling or any major trigger movements and as the bowler is about to deliver his hands are behind his right hip. His wrists are perfectly cocked. Coaches will tell you this is an ideal power position. Iyer’s height and long arms give him that leverage to loft the ball and also reach the wide deliveries. Add to that, he grips the bat high to maximise his output while swinging the willow. It is a trait that gives him an advantage to hit the balls wide of off-stump through the cover region as he showed last night by driving Cummins past extra-cover drive off the back foot.
While Iyer generates plenty of power, a large proportion is due to his technique rather than pure muscle. He is different to a Kieron Pollard or a Andre Russell. He hardly swipes anything across the line. Even the short balls are glided behind point or ramped over the keeper as evident in his knock on Saturday. For a batsman bought up in the sub-continent, Iyer seldom lets his bottom hand dominate.
Iyer’s best shot of the night was arguably the boundary off Cummins the 17th over. The ball was full and wide and it drove it to the cover fence with his weight on the back leg. It was a great example of his ability to transfer his weight in either direction.
Those who have watched Iyer progress through the Mumbai circuit, will tell you about his ability to hit spinners over long-on or long-off without getting to the pitch of the ball. His brutal assault against Varun Chakravarthy was a great indicator of his beautiful power swing of the bat. The last ball of the 19th over where he cleared his front leg and sent the ball sailing over long-on was replica of any great modern day golfer. Watching side on, his hip opened up precisely allowing the bat to swing down the line of the ball. This was modern day power-hitting at its best.
Iyer finished the night unbeaten on 88 off 37 balls. He had made a mockery of the Kolkata bowlers. In that last over, it seemed like he was on a golf driving range and his swing kept getting better and better. During lockdown, Iyer posted pictures on Instagram on how he has been working on his core muscles, after his knock last night it is evident all that hard work certainly helped him hit the ball out of the park.
There is no doubt, batting is evolving and Iyer is setting a template. Last night was just the beginning. Expect more of the same not just from Iyer, but from the next generation of Indian batsmen.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2GfXipv
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