Switch hit might have become ubiquitous but there was a time when it created flutters and polarised the cricket world. Kevin Pietersen was the first batter to bring that shot to international arena and it was something that soon became intrinsically associated with him before others warmed up to it.
The shot involves a batter instantly changing his/her stance from a right-handed batsman to a left-handed one or vice-versa in order to manipulate the field and pick gaps.
Pietersen brought back memories of the switch hit by playing it while hanging out with the locals in Delhi where he’s currently on IPL duties.
In a video shared by the England legend on Instagram, he can be seen playing the switch hit, giving fans a reminder of the iconic shot.
“Switch-hitting in Delhi this afternoon! The one shot in cricket that when played by anyone, always makes me smile,” the Englishman wrote in the caption.
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The first time Pietersen played the switch hit was in 2006, during a Test match against Sri Lanka. He played the stunning shot to legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. It became controversial with few experts suggesting that it be banned since it gave an unfair advantage to the batters.
After England’s win over New Zealand in an ODI in 2008, where Kevin Pietersen used the switch hit against Scott Styris, the then 28-year-old defended his choice of playing the controversial shot.
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“That’s ridiculous. Absolutely stupid. The reverse-sweep has been part of the game for however long. I am just fortunate that I am able to hit it a bit further,” said Kevin Pietersen. “Everybody wants brand new ideas, new inventions and new shots. That is a new shot played today and people should be saying it’s a new way to go. There are new things happening for cricket at the moment and people shouldn’t be criticising it all the time,” he said.
Pietersen played 104 Tests, 136 ODIs and 37 T20Is during his storied international career. He has scored 13,297 runs across all formats and was a part of England’s squad that won the 2010 T20 World Cup.
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