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Cricket has become a game of so many different shapes and sizes. What has happened to the game has rubbed on the cricketers that play it, too. Every format has its own set of demands, and now there are specialists who are in place for every one of them.
Even within the formats there are phases that need to be addressed specifically. But then, some can do roles better than others and that is why multi-dimensional cricketers have great value in the shortest format - they can add value by covering more than one base.
In T20 cricket, one specific role is key, and is a complete necessity for any top T20 side. The hitter/finisher who comes in has to get going big from ball one usually.
The best hitter in the business right now has to be Andre Russell. It's not just his power and consistency that has me in awe, but also the ridiculous ease with which he is able to generate that kind of power is insane.
Like many of his Caribbean counterparts, Russell is a phenomenal athlete, able to generate great bat speed to meet the ball. A lot of the force generated for any power stroke comes from ground force, meaning one has to have a strong base with the foot planted firmly on the ground so as to support and strengthen whatever is happening upwards.
However, just a strong base doesn't help. One also needs stability in the ankles and mobility in the hips to enable the power generated is transferred on to the hands and in turn the ball. This overall package can be termed as athletic ability.
Usually, wider the base or in simple terms farther the distance between the two legs when playing shots means higher stability but also lesser mobility. If one has a wider base when defending, it doesn't make a difference, but when one has to swing hard, it makes things a lot trickier.
Batsmen are constantly seeking to get into positions which allow them to get under the ball and maximise scoring opportunities. That is why the yorker will always be the most effective delivery because it's a length which is hard to get under.
What makes Russell so special? When we have a close look at the positions that he gets into when playing big shots, he seems to have a wide base which helps him get under the ball well. But what sets him apart is that he is able to generate the swing and speed through the ball even with that wide base. Only a top athlete with good strength and flexibility can manage that. Even if the length is marginally short or full with an attempted yorker, Russell is able to maximise that error by hitting it over the fence.
Russell has already smashed 19 sixes off the 66 balls he's faced in this IPL. Surprisingly, all his sixes have come against the pacers, and he's not scored a single boundary off the spinners. Maybe that's a trick that the teams have missed thus far, but when the pacers bowl at Russell, he's able to send the ball into orbit regularly.
Talking about top athletes, MS Dhoni almost saw Chennai Super Kings through aginst Kings XI Punjab with some phenomenal striking. We could see the physio was out and attending to his back in the middle of the innings and Dhoni later on mentioned that he had been blessed with strong arms and he didn't have to use the body.
What Dhoni did was to maintain a strong base and let his hands take over, there by nullifying his hips and back completely. Essentially, it's like solving a math problem where you start it and derive the right answers by missing all the steps in between.
Another player who is able to overcome the lack of flexibility and fitness is Chris Gayle. The left-hander's batting is a whole different ball game, compared to the other two. First of all, starting at the top of the order he can afford to settle in. But once he does, he unleashes himself on the hapless bowlers. His six-hitting ability stems from pure upper body strength that comes from those massive shoulders and arms.
When you look closely, the back lift is so short and so is the follow through. And don't even start on the footwork, or the lack of it. But the enormity of the sixes that he hits is testimony to his pure strength and the long levers that he possesses and he so wonderfully uses them by standing up tall and playing the shots.
And let's not forget the bats he uses. I have lifted and tried swinging them, and almost ended up with a wrist injury. They all weigh in at about 3 pounds and they certainly pack a punch.
Russell is more of a recent addition to this massive six-hitters' list. But he certainly seems to be every bit as well-equipped to be as good as any. Gayle and co. could do it despite their lack of fitness and footwork. Russell though doesn't have those limitations. And his art of lighting up games could become a far more regular sight in world cricket.
(CRICBUZZ)
