Batting: Practical Tips to Improve Your Cricket Batting
Want to score more runs and feel confident at the crease? Batting is simple in idea but tricky in practice. Focus on a few basics—grip, stance, footwork, and shot selection—and you’ll see quick gains. Here are clear, useful tips you can use in nets and matches right away.
Basic technique and common mistakes
Grip and stance set everything up. Hold the bat so the V of both hands points down the back of the bat. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and weight balanced on the balls of your feet. Too closed or too open a stance makes you slow to the ball. Keep your head still and eyes level; if your head moves, your timing will suffer.
Footwork beats power. Move the front foot to get to the pitch of the ball for drives, and use a small back-foot movement for short deliveries. Many players overreach—don’t lunge. Short, sharp steps let you adjust to line and length. Aim to get your body behind the ball so the bat meets the ball with control, not just force.
Shot selection wins matches. Ask two quick questions before every shot: where is the ball pitched, and what do I want to achieve? If it’s in your arc, drive or defend. If it’s wide, steer or use soft hands. Avoid big shots early in your innings when there’s a new ball or confidence is low. Rotate strike often—singles build pressure on bowlers and open scoring chances.
Practice drills and a simple weekly plan
Net sessions should be focused. Try these drills: 1) Shadow batting for 10 minutes to groove your footwork and head position. 2) Throwdowns targeting corridor of uncertainty to practice drives and defensive blocks. 3) Cone drill: place cones for where you want your front foot to land for good length balls. 4) Short ball practice with a bowling machine or partner to train back-foot punches and pull shots.
Use a simple weekly plan: two technical sessions (nets), one power/hitting session, and one light session for timing and placement. Always finish practice by facing different bowlers or angles—match scenarios are where skills transfer.
Mindset matters. Stay present ball-by-ball, control breathing between deliveries, and set small targets like "rotate strike twice" or "leave two good balls" rather than thinking of a big score. After a mistake, reset—don’t let one shot ruin your focus.
Equipment and small gains: choose a bat weight you can control for 20 overs plus. Lighter bats give quicker hands; heavier bats add power but slow you down. Watch videos of batsmen with similar style and copy one specific thing each week—footwork, bat swing, or trigger movement.
Start simple, practice with a plan, and focus on high-quality reps. Do that, and batting won’t feel so mysterious anymore—you’ll just be scoring more often.
What makes Risabh Pant special?
Rishabh Pant is a young and talented wicket-keeper batsman from India. He made his debut in 2017 and has since made a mark in the cricket world with his explosive batting. His record-breaking performances, outstanding fielding and his unique style of play make him an exceptional cricketer. He is a player who has the ability to win matches on his own and has already achieved a lot in his short international career.
