What may seem like a simple, albeit thrilling, act of the ball sailing over the ropes is actually a product of power, instinct, pre-meditation and hours of practice, say the men who have perfected the art. “Any batsman will say there’s a fair bit of instinct in those shots. It’s a great thing to be able to react so fast to the deliveries. But most of the shots are pre-meditated. Yes, to be among the big-hitters, you will have to go with the flow,” says Adam Gilchrist, who tops the big-hitters’ chart with 21 sixes in 11 matches.

METHOD IN MADNESS

Matthew Hayden, who dons the orange cap, says a lot of on-the-spot planning is required before executing such shots. “Sometimes there are certain factors to be taken into account such as the size of the stadium or the area which you are targeting, the breeze, the match situation, the pace et cetera,” says Hayden. “The idea is to minimise the risk while playing the shot and maximise the returns. So there’s a fair bit of planning that comes along besides the urge to hit that one ball.”

And although it is power-hitting, it’s also a mind game between the batman and the bowler. Hayden stresses the need to read a bowler’s mind. “There are quite a few different styles of bowling that teams have adopted in the IPL,” he says. “Some teams have decided to take the short of length area and others have fallen back on the yorkers. So when you are pre-meditating the shot, it’s important to know what to expect from the other side.”

‘A BIT LIKE BASEBALL’

The IPL has also seen a lot of cheeky shots, such as the scoop shot and reverse sweep, off fast bowlers. Their success rate is directly proportional to the number of hours batsmen spend practising them in the nets. “I can tell you all guys spend great time practising these strokes before they attempt it in matches. And not only on those shots, at the same time they work hard on their fundamentals as well because that’s where it all comes from,” says Gilchrist

But Gilchrist also suggests that T20 cricket is a bit like baseball, with the batsmen given a licence to swing the bat freely. “It’s funny but some of the biggest hits have all been delivered with the same stroke, with the bat in a baseball-like position,” he says.

Then again, there is a strong Indian connection to big-hitting. With Indian bat manufacturers giving the unique combination of more wood on the meat of the bat and balancing it to shave off the extra weight, hitting sixes was never easier.