5 innovative cricket shots and their history

#3 The paddle sweep

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar had mastered the art of paddle sweep

A sweep is a cross-batted shot played to a low bouncing ball. A paddle sweep is a shot in which the ball is deflected towards fine leg with a stationary or near-stationary bat extended horizontally towards the bowler.

The paddle sweep shot is a variation of the sweep that relies on accurate placement of the ball. The shot is favoured against the spinner and depends on the bat being brought down on top of the ball to keep it along the ground. It is a cross-batted shot that is played low down on one knee, with the ball being finely swept to the leg side.

Needless to say, this is a shot that has higher rate of success on less bouncy or flat sub-continental pitches.

Sachin Tendulkar's leg-side flick off a ball bouncing to about waist height is legendary. He would dismiss the ball towards long leg with a wristy flounce that seemed to turn the bat almost back to front. He rarely missed. Virender Sehwag was quite good at this shot too.