Different Practice: How 3 Indian Batsmen Approach Drills | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Different Practice: How 3 Indian Batsmen Approach Drills

We live in a time where we know that cricket is different for everyone. There used to be a template, but the more we understand about people, the more we realise everyone's approach needs to be individual.

Take 3 Indian batting heroes: Gambhir, Dravid and Kohli.

Each have had success by doing it their own way rather than taking to same approach every time.

You only need to see how they practice to discover the difference. Here are the ways that these batsman look at a net session:

Gambhir: Intensity

Watching Gambhir in the nets you can barely imagine him without a bat in his hand. He focuses on every ball like it is a Test match and is constantly working on shoring up his method.

But this is not by mindlessly batting. He is thinking.

Perhaps he is considering a match situation in his head, and trying different ways to play it out. Maybe he is focusing on keeping his balance central to play shots all round the ground. Whatever it is for that session, his mind is locked into the task.

Of course, intensity doesn't mean tense. He may be locked onto the ball in a epic battle, but he keeps his body loose and ready to move. His drives need to flow. He focuses in the moment.

Dravid: Determination

Dravid's way is far more about grit. Before he retired he has a reputation for technical ability over natural flair in his batting. While this is a generalisation, there is no doubt his practice shows pure determination.

He bats long, knowing that mental stamina is developed through batting. He challenges himself in nets, seeing difficult conditions as a chance to further test and enhance his mental and technical game.

His route is both naturally, and self-selected, a more difficult one to Gambhir, and it matched his aims for batting perfection perfectly.

Kohli: Passion

The golden boy among golden boys is Virat Kohli. His practice is different again.

That's not to say his work ethic is any less, but he does it with obvious passion, energy and enthusiasm.

Every catch dropped in practice is a personal slight. Every net session is a chance to express himself as an International cricketer. Every practice is a chance for him to help someone else with throwdowns or hitting catches.

He plays with the joy of someone who feels lucky to be there. But it's not luck at all, it's talent, very hard work and a deep knowledge that his game is based on confidence and swagger.

Take home point

What we learn from these is that your practice drills have to reflect your personal style. It's the only way to succeed.

The first step to drills that make you better is to understand your personality. Then you can get to work on the nuts and bolts.

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Comments

Hi this is Doni who plays cricket on Saturdays and Sundays in a team consisting of Software engineers basically, we are located in Chennnai.,

At my home I used to practice with a fibre ball, throwing it against a wall and hitting the rebound. The length of that pitch was just 2 meters, and I had to hit to the leg side to not hit the window panes. I did it a lot and it took away from me the fear to pull and hook. Now these shots are my breadwinners! The downside is that I had been good in the offside during high school days when we played using tennis ball, now I leave everything in the offside and wait for balls which has teh line under my eye (on and legside of the stumps). Practice styles definitely crafts playing style..

Its heard that Len hutton used to practice with a golf ball rebound from his house wall, using a cricket stump to hit them. The wall was uneven, and he became a legend.

Cheers