I’ve seen everyone on the streets of Bangalore complain about auto drivers and how they squeeze through traffic better than Surya finding the gaps between the long on and deep mid-wicket. Watching them manipulate the auto on the streets of Silicon City reminded me of my ex, which birthed a realisation in my cerebrum. Bangalore roads are notoriously known for all the potholes and unforeseen speed bumps (reminding me of my ex yet again), and you can’t do what they do if you don’t know the roads of traffic town like it's your bread and butter. Let me put it like this - for an auto driver, the more angles you know, the better you can navigate through traffic; and for a batter on a cricket pitch, a wide bat-lift angle will help you navigate through the field better than any driver anna.
It was 2018, and the Australians were on a tour to South Africa, scheduled to play a series of 5 Tests, 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is. Footage had been released of the top order batters of the Mzansis showing no complacency during the practice sessions. Seeing how they were getting ready to face the current world champions, the viewership was set to reach an unprecedented amount. Fast forward to the 4th test and the Aussies were already down 3-0, meaning they couldn’t win the test series. Their opening batters were lasting shorter on the pitch than a virgin at a strip club. The reaction from their coaches was a sight to behold, changing tactics like your best friend randomises his Maggi recipe. Upon further studying this downward trend, they realised that their top order batters had been playing with bat-lifts narrower than your escape from death sitting in a car with an F1 fanatic. Their opener’s elbow was too close to his body while batting, and he found it difficult to hit those tricky balls on his pads.
Also Read - Mastering Bat-Lift Variations: Elevate Your Cricket Game
The practice sessions henceforth saw his bat-lift change from the middle stump to in between the 2nd and 3rd slip, opening up the avenue of hitting the ball on the leg side when required. They did win only one of their remaining test matches, but they went on to break the record for the top 3 partnerships in the history of Australia-South Africa ODI matches and won the ODI series with a 5-0 clean sweep. As for their opener, his percentage of middled shots increased by 157% and his sweetspot also improved by more than 30%.
A wide bat lift is like having a secret superpower on the pitch. It's not just for the pros - even in your gully cricket matches, giving your bat more room to move can make a big difference. Think of it like this: the wider your bat lift, the more shots you can play, just like how a street vendor with more items sells more food. So next time you're batting, remember to open up that lift. Who knows? You might just become the next big star your colony talks about over chai and samosas.
