What is the best pull shot in cricket?

Did you know a pull shot in cricket requires lightning-fast reflexes and first-class hand-to-eye coordination? The most fabulous power shot.

In cricket, the pull shot is a breath-taking and mesmerizing stroke that has captivated spectators and players equally for years.

This shot requires the batsman to hit a short-pitched delivery from the bowler to the boundary with power and accuracy using perfect timing, skill, and pure self-confidence.

It’s a risky power shot that yields high rewards. Hence a Pull hitter needs to be extremely careful while playing this shot.

How do you play a pull shot in cricket?

Pull shots are difficult to perform since facing short balls is one of the more challenging tasks because of the bounce.

Although a well-played pull shot is pleasing to the eye, they are pretty hard to master, and batters often get dismissed while attempting to play that shot.

The steps listed below can be used to execute a pull shot in cricket successfully.

Step One

Get into your stance and remember to keep your balance and even weight distribution.

Step Two

If the bowler pitches short and the ball looks ready to pull, push yourself back off your front foot. You will now move back towards the stumps. Your feet will be close together, and depending on the altitude of the delivery, you may be at your tips.

Step Three

Keep your focus and eye on the ball. Your left shoulder should now move towards the leg side. Your other shoulder will move in the opposite direction.
This will create a fast motion that, when executed correctly, will blast the ball far away.

Now you have mastered the art of pull shot in cricket, all that is left is to practice.

click here for a more detailed view of How to play a Pull Shot in Cricket.

Best pull-shot players

Even though pull shots in cricket are the strokes that any cricketer instinctively uses, they demand more bravery than technique.

Hence, very few can perform this shot aggressively.

But when executed effectively, the pull shot can produce the best chances to score around the leg side area.

However, some batters can effortlessly pull off a pull shot in cricket like no other.

1. Vivan Richards (West Indies)

The Master Blaster started playing this shot in the 1980s when he combined his brain power and brute force to knock the bouncers over the fence while all the other batters feared them.

Initially, he depended on his front foot to perform a pull shot in cricket, which he later improvised and started using his back foot for better execution.

He was one of the Greatest Batsmen of all Time, introducing the way of aggressive batting and never wearing a helmet while playing. He was an inspiration to not only his team but also to millions of people throughout the world.

2. Ricky Ponting (Australia)

Many people get goosebumps at the sight of Punter’s pull shot, even after he has retired, and wonder how he could execute them so cleanly.

To keep the ball down the leg, he shuffles across, giving him a good angle from which to smack the ball over the rope in the square foot.

Ricky Ponting is undoubtedly one of the greatest batsmen to play, becoming the most successful captain in international cricket history with a Winning record of 67%.

His miraculous way of performing the pull shot is always spectacular, striking anyone who watches.

3. Rohit Sharma (India)

Rohit is one of the players who uses his front foot to play the pull shot when every other player must use their rear foot.

His method of executing the shots by shifting his weight to the front foot and retaining good balance has received praise from several batters. He has excellent hand-eye coordination, which gives him more time to consider the length of the ball.

Hence, he is an expensive player for short balls because of his new method of hitting the ball. He can certainly become the best player for pulling off a pull shot in cricket.

4. Virat Kohli (India)

Up until now, Virat’s Australian tours have been essential in demonstrating his pull-shot abilities. He now has the mastery of this shot.

He prepares to tackle the bouncers with the first step of his shuffle, and as soon as he connects with the ball, he rotates his body. In addition, during the pull, his rear foot balances the rest of his body while the front foot spins with his moving body.

He has quick reflexes and can read the line of the ball exceptionally well, allowing him to use his pull shots skill to send the ball far away.

There is zero doubt that because of his signature shot, the cover drive, he has become one of the greatest in performing a pull shot in cricket.

5. Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Sachin prefers guiding the ball rather than aggressively hitting it. His pull shots in cricket are a beauty to witness.

He earned the title “The God of Cricket” for his impeccable stance, form, and timing for various shots. Although it seems a bit more difficult when Sachin plays it, his immaculate timing for his shots throws any ball out of the stadium.

For any short ball, he would always bravely move offside, guiding the ball with precise time so that it would land perfectly in his body line. The sixes that resulted from his pull strokes were a construction of his prowess and might.

6. Brian Lara (West Indies)

Brian Lara is one of the best for a pull shot in cricket batsmen to have ever played the game of cricket.

His shuffles are the key to his pull shots, as they enable him to have a more open chest that gives him an advantageous position to hit the ball in the exact location of the bat.

Due to his backlift, the bat faces the point fielder, and his following swing to the leg side becomes natural to him.

Additionally, the high backlift forces him to strike the ball quickly, which gives the stroke a ton of power. Lara has become the cricket’s hardest puller thanks to his backlift and bat swing.

7. Ben Stokes (England)

Stokes is a cricketer of the modern era with a superb bat swing and timing combination.

The all-around English player increases the strength of his bat swing to play his incredible pull shot.

His upper body serves merely to stoop backward so that he can strike his bat. It’s interesting to note how Stokes, opens his body with his front foot to swing his arms and achieves the proper angle to send the ball with force.

He remains unfazed by the pace of the balls, and with his height as his merit, he became one of the most proficient in pull shot in cricket.

8. Gordon Greenidge (West Indies)

The first players to play pull shots aggressively at bouncers who were aiming at their helmets were Windies hitters in the late 1970s.

One legend who gave us the courage to face the bouncers was the renowned Gordon Greenidge.

The Barbadians used a specific pull shot technique. The West Indian batter gets closer carefully toward the off stumps during the draw shot and swings the bat horizontally.

He raises the knee of his front foot to his chest, giving him the enormous force to swing the bat while his rear foot balances his lower body.

9. David Warner (Australia)

David Warner is a prodigy player gifted with quick reflexes and great hand-to-eye coordination.

Most of his skills evolved from his earlier exposure to cricket. He can easily identify a short ball when thrown and judge the situation quickly to decide the trajectory of the ball.

He has achieved extraordinary feats in all formats of cricket. He also once made 100 in each inning of the test. Warner’s pull shot in cricket is one of the greatest spectaculars to watch in cricket.

He exceeds his reputation. His fans have always looked forward to watching him play in the Ashes Series.

10. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the greatest cricket players to ever play.

He is an expert in all fields or formats of cricket and holds the world record for the fastest wicket stumping 0.08 seconds.

He was quick with his reaction; along with his knowledge of cricket, he was always ready to blast away the ball.

His most mesmerizing shots were his pull shots; he knew precisely from how much movement was needed to the amount of power in his shots.

There was nothing that the bowlers or fielder could do except watch the ball.

Conclusion

Pull shots in cricket are certainly a sight to behold.

There are a lot of players who can play this shot, but only a few of them can flawlessly execute this shot.

Defying all the risks and moving forward with all the courage requires exceptional talent, which is hard to come by.

But who knows that in the coming time, there might come a whole lot of players with a new set of skills, surpassing all others.