Common Mistakes Made By Batsmen And How To Avoid It

Batting is a tough skill.  But only until you master it.  If you master the skill of batting, then batting is the easiest job to do.  But Some might be struggling to bat well and make a whole lot of mistakes.  So I am going to list down the common mistakes made by a batsman and how to avoid those mistakes and become a superstar.

1.  Taking The Eyes Off The Ball:

                                 So, what do I mean by this?  It is simple taking the eyes of the ball in the sense not seeing much of the ball while hitting it.  This mistake is a common one from rookie young cricketers to experienced veterans. 

It was that one moment where he took his eyes off the ball and he paid the price for it.

Players commonly take their eyes off the ball while facing short balls.  So when they do, they get dismissed.  This happens at times.

                                 But problem arises when the player does not watch a good length or full length ball, and does it so often.  What it does is reduces the hand and eye coordination.  So all your hand movement will be according to your first vision of the ball that you had picked during it’s pitching time.  So if the ball does not swing you may escape, but if the ball swings then you will most likely be back to the pavilion.  Because whenever you watch the ball until you meet it, then you can adjust your shot according to the swing or movement of the ball, when you don’t watch ball closely then you will never be able to adjust your shot according to the movement of the ball. 

                                   So, how do I avoid this mistake?  All you have to do is to watch the ball closely until you meet it with your bat.  Have a cool head, don’t fear about the pace or bounce of the ball, then automatically everything slows down and you will be able to see the ball until you meet it.  You have to look at the hands of the bowler right from the start of his run up, then automatically your eyes will follow the ball until it comes to you.  A Simple drill will help you improve your hand and eye co-ordination.  Have a partner with you ask him to throw the ball to you and you have a bat and hit it back to him.  Otherwise If you have time then go to a ground with net facilities and ask your partner to bowl to you.  Ask him to bowl different lines.  All you have to do is to focus only on the ball hit different types of shots.  Have a conscious mind to watch the ball closely.

2.  Premeditation:

                                     This is a diverse problem that is even seen in international cricketers.  Premeditating a shot.  Premeditation is the worst thing that a batsman could do.  So what does a Premeditated shot really means?  Batsmen Fix or select where to hit and what shot to hit before the ball is bowled or pitched.  They fix it in their mind and hit a shot.  Even if the ball is not pitching in the place that is suitable for that shot, they go through with their shot.

                                     So by doing this they either miss the ball or time it earlier. 

Fruit Of Premeditated Shot Is A Wicket

We might seen some players getting out to slower balls and knuckle balls which hold up in the pitch.  It happens because of premeditation.  The players do not get to adjust to the pace of the ball so they time it earlier.  Some players even hit sixes of slower balls.  But how do they do it?  They keep a calm and cool mind so that they could wait for the ball to come to their bat, what I’m saying is for slower balls, so then they could place it to any fielder less destination.  While Players get out on slower balls their head would go up most of the times this is because they had timed the ball very earlier. 

                                         How do we fix it?  The answer is simple, even if that is a very pressure situation never panic or never get tensed.  Have a cool and calm head and wait until the ball pitches after that you could guess the speed as well as the length of the ball.  So you will be able to time it to perfection.

3.  Confusion While Running Between The Wickets:

                                          Running between the wickets is a special skill.  You should be a good team player to be good in running between the wickets.  While running between the wickets you should know your partner’s fitness levels and his speed.  Because Most of the confusion arises while taking quick singles.  We might have seen run outs due to confusion while batting in the death.

The Worst Ever Confusion..

  Or a big partnership broken down due to a run out.  You may ask are running between the wickets so important and is it a skill to master?  Yes, because you may get out if you  have poor co-ordination with your partner.  Finally What is the remedy for this?

                                           You have to speak with you partner about the signals.  That is whether calling out loud or do hand gestures such as come on and stop.  I would suggest hand gestures because while there are audience watching the game, Your partner might not hear your voice due to the sound made by the crowd.  So If you make hand gestures he might Understand and make his move according to it. 

                                            Next, you have to wait for your partner’s call or you have to make your call.  And You have to believe in your partner.  When you are facing the ball, if the ball is hit straight down the ground, then you call your partner for the run.  Because only you have a straight vision about where the ball is heading and where the fielders are.  So you could choose how much to run and when to run.  It takes some time for your partner to look back and make his move, so ask him to believe you and not to look back. 

                                            This will save some time and also reduce the confusion.  Because when both are looking at the ball both of them would make different or same decisions and sometimes one would not run and one would finish his run.  So ask your partner to believe in you and run right after your call.  You also should do it when you are as a non striker.  Also even when you are the striker, if the ball goes behind you do not look back and wait for your partner’s call.  Because he would have a straighter vision at that point of time.  So you say this while you prepare for the match or when you are at the crease.  So belief towards your partner is so important.

4.  Trying To Face Every Ball On The Bat:

                                             This Mistake might arise some times.  Sometimes, when players have got a boundary or if they had faced 3 or four balls consecutively on the bat they lose their mind and try to hit it or smash it to the boundary.  By doing this they forget the swing of the ball or they forget the position of the fielders and get out.  There are some occasions where a leave looks better than that of a shot.  I am not saying you to leave any ball that is going on the offside what I am saying is, if you are not confident about the ball then don’t hit it.

It Was Against Anderson Where Kohli Played Shots For Inswingers And Anderson Kept On Dismissing Him With Outswingers

 If you must face it then defend it.  Leaving is a special skill, Leaving a ball requires precise or accurate judgment of the pace, swing and bounce of the ball.  If you misjudge any of these then you would suffer like Ian Bell.  So except every ball to come to you but never go forward to hit every ball.  There is also another diverse problem around batsmen that is lack of concentration.  Let's see about that below.

5.  Lack Of Concentration:

                                               Like premeditation, lack of concentration is also another big problem among batsmen.  When players bat for long periods they may get tired and start to hit wavered and improper shots.  That can happen, but sometimes players get overjoyed after hitting a 50 or a hundred and lose their concentration and try to take advantage of the bowler by disrespecting good deliveries.  That is when Problem arises.  They go for glory and lose their concentration completely hence lose their wicket.

Mushfiqur Rahim Celebrated Too Earlier And Threw His Wicket Going For Glory.  Having Had To Chase 2 Of 3 Balls..

  So what you have to do is expect every ball to be a wicket taking ball and play like your life is depended on it and you will get better results.

6.  Lack Of Hardwork:

                                              This is a problem with the young generation of today.  Players of today have a lot of talent in themselves but lack of hard work sideline them forever, there are lot of examples like, Swapnil Asnodkar, Paul Valthaty, Rahul Tewatia, Manoj Tiwary and a lot more.  All of these players were really very talented but they never put the required work needed to be successful at a big level.  Also these players are hugely inconsistent.  Inconsistency arises when you do not put a lot of work in to your game.  

                                              Take an example of Virat Kohli, he might have faded away in 2014 due to his technical errors but he worked hard on his fitness and his technique and now he is one of the best players currently and of all time.  Even the modern day legend Rohit Sharma could have easily gone under the radar and could have retired by now if he had not put the hardwork.

If Both Of These Had Not Put On The Hardwork Then They Wouldn't Have Been In The Place Where They Are Now..

  Rohit had all the talent needed to be a fantastic cricketer, but he just did not put the hardwork in his early years.  After missing the World Cup in 2011, Rohit took a step forward and learnt that talent alone cannot take him further, he learnt that he had to put in some hard work.  And as a result of his hard work he is at the place at which he is now.  So all young cricketers, listen up!  Hard work + Talent= Success