T20 World Cup: Behind Rishabh Pant’s one-handed sixes, a sound technique | Cricket News – Times of India

‘Unconventional’, ‘freak’ and ‘ridiculous’ are just a few words that are casually used to describe Rishabh Pant’s game. His audacious approach towards his batting has often bordered on recklessness.
Yet, there’s much frenzy about the things he does on the field and that includes his chatter from behind the stumps. It’s the one-handed six that has caught the imagination of the people right now.
What seemed a freaky shot to begin with early in his career has now become his trademark of late. The two consecutive sixes off Hasan Ali in a throbbing Dubai International Stadium in India’s T20 World Cup opener is a case in point.
“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,” Rishabh would retort every time the shot is brought up during conversations over the last four years.
It may come across as an involuntary reaction to a situation but there’s a lot of method behind it. There’s a strong technical foundation behind the shot. Not for nothing that Kane Williamson too pulled out one such shot against Pakistan on Tuesday night.

Rishabh Pant (Image credit: ICC/Reuters)
TOI decodes nuances that make it such an effective shot.
Strong forearm
Former Delhi wicketkeeper Devendra Sharma, who has groomed Rishabh along with revered coach 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 told TOI.
The efficacy of the shot is such that it may seem he has been playing it from his childhood. But Devendra mentions that he never had to use it in his junior cricket days. “The shot comes into effect only when bowlers deceive him. In junior cricket, the standard of bowling barely troubled him. Rishabh had so much time that he could convert any decent ball and hit them for sixes. As you come up the ranks, the quality of bowling improves and with that you need to evolve as a batter.”

Rishabh Pant (Image credit: ICC/Reuters)
Firm top hand
There’s a theory that every hard-hitting batter has the bottom hand on the bat’s handle dominating the willow. It’s natural for the bottom hand, which is usually the dominant hand of most players, to take over to generate power while hitting the ball hard in the air.
Coaches usually emphasise on the need to have a firm top hand to be in control of strokes. In essence, the top hand is believed to drive the shot-making and the bottom hand’s role is to provide support.
“Rishabh is a top-handed player. It may seem he is bottom handed but his top hand generates power. That’s why his punches are so ferocious. And once he is in good form, the top hand dictates the proceedings. That means he is not trying too hard,” Devendra mentions.
Solid defensive technique
Then comes bursting the myth of an out-and-out attacking batter lacks in defensive technique. “You ought to have good technique to be able to bat long enough and keep hitting sixes. Shot selection may be debatable but a good defensive technique is non-negotiable,” Devendra asserts. Devendra then points out how seldom Rishabh gets bowled or LBW in international cricket and that he has the ability to play out spells in Test cricket.

Rishabh Pant (Image credit: ICC/Reuters)
“When Rishabh first came to Sonnet, he had the natural ability to hit the ball hard and long. He would go after every ball. Then we had to make him understand that a defensive technique will help him bat longer. Then he focused more on hitting straight. Getting in line of the ball is the key, especially for those one-handed sixes. You have to make sure you give yourself to find the middle of the bat and for that you ought to target the straight boundaries. Where the ball ends up depends on the length of the ball, but the first intention is to protect the stumps and hit straight,” Devendra explained.
Free mind and batswing
Eventually, it comes down to the clarity in the mind. According to Devendra, Rishabh will never play that shot if his mind is cluttered. For Rishabh, a free bat swing is directly related to his state of mind. “When he was struggling a couple of years ago, we asked him to just hit balls hard and long to get his batswing back. Last year, he shed all the cobwebs in his mind. The back lift and the full bat swing came with that. Once he did that the shots flowed. Even for this one-handed six, you need an absolutely correct back lift and a free bat swing that completes an arc,” Devendra remarked.