Cricket and Sachin Tendulkar have become synonyms. Its hard to think of the sport without thinking of the man who is loved because of his ability in the sport. So when he gets on TV and gives batting tips you better listen because these words are priceless; they can really help you improve your game. I have tried to transcribe his words as clearly as I could.
Try and keep the ball along the ground
“Nowdays [cricketers] including my son Arjun like to play T20 and they like to see the ball going out of the stadium. I keep telling them that you know if you try to keep the ball along the ground and you mistime a shot you still continue batting. But if you keep the ball in the air all the time, you’ll mistime one. Then you will be back in the dressing room, watching the rest of the match. Try and keep the ball along the ground.”
Batting is about balance
“My favourite shot is playing the straight drive because when any fast bowler or spinner sees the full face of the blaid they don’t like it. I like showing them the full face of the bat. To play a straight drive you have to be perfectly balanced because if your head starts falling to the right then the ball will invariably go to the leg side. If your head is not straight and your weight is on the back foot then you will slice everything to the off-side. When you start playing good straight drives, you know that your head positioning and your body balance is perfect. What you need to do is lean forward with your head straight and transfer the weight forward with a follow-through which shows your back leg.”
The best way to handle pressure is to think of the present; forget the past & the future
“If you are thinking of the past games in which you didn’t perform or if you are thinking about the future games you must perform in, then the pressure will increase. If you only think about the match you are currently playing then the pressure remains low. Doing this is not easy however; it comes with habit.”
Work hard on your game to improve; you can always be better than the day before
“You have to keep on hitting that ball and work with all your heart. No matter how much you work, it is never enough. You can always be better. Everytime you get on the field to practice you can become better than the day before. You must get back home and feel like you have done well that day. Practice means that you are getting better each time you do it.”
Tips to aspiring cricketers: Just enjoy the game
“Just enjoy the game and don’t let anyone pressurize you. Pressure from others at a young age will make you stop loving the sport.”
Stay very low when you are hitting the sweep
“When you are playing the sweep, including the paddle sweep and reverse sweep, it is important to stay low because when you are low you won’t miss the yorker and you can always go higher during the shot but its hard to go lower.”
—
Source: Sachin gives cricketing tips on NDTV
Tags: cricket diaries
