NEW DELHI: T20 baseball changed a lot of things about the way the game was played. While strategies, shots and serves have evolved rapidly, some Indian players are reworking the shape of their bats.
Look closely at the bats used specifically by Hardik PandyaKL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, one can notice they have distinct curves at the bottom. This happens is MS Dhoniits brainchild and the adjustment is made to support hitting power.
TOI understands that Dhoni, who has been a mentor to Pandya and Pant, has suggested that they try playing round-bottomed bats to improve their T20 game.
“It was Dhoni who first started using this club before the 2019 World Cup. And now these Indian players have started asking for it,” said Paras Anand, chief executive officer of the club manufacturer. leading sportswear Sanspareils Greenlands (SG), told TOI.
It’s difficult to understand the nuances behind this idea, especially in an era where players have a lot of drills to improve their ranged ability.
“These bats are specially ordered for shorter formats. Players claim that it helps them reach all directions of the ground while taking the shot. A bat with a flat bottom creates a relatively closed posture while a bat with a round bottom allows them to have a more open stance, helping them to maneuver the bat with ease from the start,” explains Anand.
“If one shaves the bottom and makes it round, the bat has a thicker bottom and more meat on the bottom,” adds Anand.
The meat bottom is probably an explanation for the resistance to over-delivery in the block hole. It is also known that players using these racquets have stated that they find picking and turning the club much smoother, as it mimics a baseball bat.
Pandya has struggled to get big from the first leg in the T20 format since the second leg of the IPL in the UAE in 2021, which culminated in a poor performance in the T20 World Cup that followed. Pandya lost his place in the Indian team for four months before making a brilliant comeback leading the Gujarat Giants in their winning IPL campaign April-May this year.
During halftime, he also reworks the shape of his club in addition to his strength training to hit the ball at full incline.
TOI already knew that Pant, who also struggled to stay motivated in the late T20s, approached Dhoni after IPL.
“Dhoni told him to try the round bottom club. He’s slowly getting used to it. The curve on his club is still unclear. But he can feel the difference,” a source said.
Look closely at the bats used specifically by Hardik PandyaKL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, one can notice they have distinct curves at the bottom. This happens is MS Dhoniits brainchild and the adjustment is made to support hitting power.
TOI understands that Dhoni, who has been a mentor to Pandya and Pant, has suggested that they try playing round-bottomed bats to improve their T20 game.
“It was Dhoni who first started using this club before the 2019 World Cup. And now these Indian players have started asking for it,” said Paras Anand, chief executive officer of the club manufacturer. leading sportswear Sanspareils Greenlands (SG), told TOI.
It’s difficult to understand the nuances behind this idea, especially in an era where players have a lot of drills to improve their ranged ability.
“These bats are specially ordered for shorter formats. Players claim that it helps them reach all directions of the ground while taking the shot. A bat with a flat bottom creates a relatively closed posture while a bat with a round bottom allows them to have a more open stance, helping them to maneuver the bat with ease from the start,” explains Anand.
“If one shaves the bottom and makes it round, the bat has a thicker bottom and more meat on the bottom,” adds Anand.
The meat bottom is probably an explanation for the resistance to over-delivery in the block hole. It is also known that players using these racquets have stated that they find picking and turning the club much smoother, as it mimics a baseball bat.
Pandya has struggled to get big from the first leg in the T20 format since the second leg of the IPL in the UAE in 2021, which culminated in a poor performance in the T20 World Cup that followed. Pandya lost his place in the Indian team for four months before making a brilliant comeback leading the Gujarat Giants in their winning IPL campaign April-May this year.
During halftime, he also reworks the shape of his club in addition to his strength training to hit the ball at full incline.
TOI already knew that Pant, who also struggled to stay motivated in the late T20s, approached Dhoni after IPL.
“Dhoni told him to try the round bottom club. He’s slowly getting used to it. The curve on his club is still unclear. But he can feel the difference,” a source said.
