Behind Pant's one-handed sixes, a sound technique

‘Unconventional’, ‘freak’ and ‘ridiculous’ are some words casually used to describe Rishabh Pant’s game. His audacious approach towards his batting often comes close to recklessness.

- Arani.Basu

This time, it is the one-handed six that has caught the imagination of people. What seemed a freaky shot to begin with early in his career has now become a trademark. The two consecutive sixes off Hasan Ali in India’s T20 World Cup opener is an example.

“I feel I am in absolute control when I am hitting those one-handed sixes. It happens when I don’t really get to the pitch of the ball. But this is a shot I believe a lot of people will start playing,” Pant has said about the shot. The shot is based on a strong technical foundation. Even Kane Williamson played one such shot against Pakistan on Tuesday night. TOI takes a look at what makes the shot so effective...

Strong forearms

Former Delhi wicketkeeper Devendra Shar ma, who has groomed Rishabh along with Tarak Sinha at Sonnet Club, mentions that the confidence comes from the strength Rishabh has in his forearms.

“He has always been a powerful kid. When he was 12 years old, he was very strong for his age. His forearms are very strong. So, he always backs himself to clear the fence even if he doesn’t get the desired ball to hit,” Devendra said.