There is something about a southpaw batting that endears you to their style. One hardly ever witnesses a left-handed batsman who seems ugly in their approach. Each of them seems immaculate while playing a cricket ball, with an upright stance and a straight bat, more often than not.
Maybe it’s the glut of right-handed batsmen which makes a lefty seem like that exotic species which causes a flutter of excitement in your heart.
You think of left-handers, and ‘elegance’ feels like the perfect adjective to describe the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Stephen Fleming and Kumar Sangakkara. Of course, they are cancelled out by someone like Chris Gayle but that’s a story for another day.
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Kumar Sangakkara can easily lay claim to be the most elegant left-hander we have seen over the years. The former Sri Lankan skipper holds a multitude of records in international cricket and was a delight to watch when in full flow.
But one shot in his quiver will stand out for the perfect sight it painted as he played it. There probably is nothing more pleasing than witnessing a Sangakkara drive through the covers.
Different batsmen have different ways of dealing with an overpitched ball outside off-stump. MS Dhoni bludgeons it into the stands, AB de Villiers shuffles across outside its line and scoops it over fine leg, and Steve Smith will hit to either part of the ground depending on his mood. Kumar Sangakkara chose to execute the classic cover drive in a masterful manner.
Sanga Image: AFP / Lakruwan WanniarachchiHe took stance, placing his left leg just outside leg stump, with his right leg just a bit more to the left to open up his body to the off-side. As soon as he saw the ball leave the bowler’s hand and drift through the air to land farther than 70% of the 22 yards, he put those limbs into motion.
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His back leg moved towards middle-stump, and his front leg came right across it to give his body the perfect balance while his eyes tracked the ball, and his hands got the bat up high enough to create the perfect downward movement to tap the ball on its head right under his eyes. Actually, even ‘tap’ is too harsh a word. Sanga caressed the ball with the gentlest part of his willow- the open face, and of course, no fielder stood a chance.
Once he hit it, the elbow had soared above his crouched helmet, his back leg was parallel to the ground and the front knee bent just enough to stand still. The whole action- from the initial movement of the back leg to the bend of the front knee- was poetry in motion. Even the ball, which was on the receiving end, would be happy to accept its fate and travel to where it rightfully belonged- the boundary ropes.
The current MCC president built a legacy over his 15-year career but that cover drive is his gift to the cricketing world.
Featured image courtesy: AFP/ Paul Ellis
