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India legend Rahul Dravid points out how some of the greatest batters over the years have been short in stature.
Rahul Dravid (left) and Virat Kohli having a chat during a training session. (PTI Photo)
“…us little fellows can hit them harder than the big ones.”
So said baseball legend Babe Ruth to cricket icon Don Bradman when the two titans met at the Yankee Stadium in New York in 1932. While Ruth must have been underplaying his height since he was over 6 feet tall, Bradman, one of the greatest batters to have played the game, was diminutive, reportedly at 5ft 7in.
It’s said that batters of short statures in cricket have the advantage of being able to judge the length of deliveries better than their taller counterparts. Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar – cricket history is littered with examples of great batters who were of short stature.
India batting legend and former head coach Rahul Dravid, who idolised Gavaskar growing up, agrees with the notion.
“Gavaskar was a beautifully balanced player,” Dravid said on the Haal Chaal Aur Sawaal podcast with Ashish Kaushik. “I always remember, he always seemed to. There was a stillness when he stood, which is what I admired. I was always slightly taller, so I didn’t copy anything. I just stood in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. Tendulkar again was very balanced. Shorter people have the advantage of looking more balanced because the centre of gravity is lower. That’s what they say.”
While citing examples of short batters, Dravid named batting superstar Virat Kohli before admitting that it’s not a list that the former captain would be happy to be part of.
“A lot of great batters over the years have been shorter people. Look at Gavaskar, or Tendulkar or a Lara or a (Ricky) Ponting… going back to Bradman. Kohli is shortish. Virat Kohli might not like me calling him shortish, though,” Dravid said.
“But today, as the game is changing and becoming a lot about power and hitting sixes. The reach of the taller guys is becoming an advantage. Physics will tell you. Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard. Look at the guys who are batting these days, in T20s especially,” he added.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
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