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- Skipping
- Cycling
- Ankles
- Calf Muscles
- Knees And groin
- Hamstring A
- Hamstring B
Hamstring C
- Hamstring D
- Hamstring E
- Knees
- Stretching Of waist and rips
- Shoulder And neck
- Jogging
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Physical fitness plays an important role in any cricketer's success. I have always believed that in the present-day cricketing world there are no short cuts to success except hard work and constant physical fitness. If one is talented and physically fit, then the sky is the limit for such a player. I have noticed that today's players are much fitter and more energetic than players two decades ago. Physical training for players is a must today as the game has become highly competitive. In fact, many talented players could not make it to top-level cricket mainly due to lack of physical fitness.
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Cricket is a game in which confidence plays a very important if not crucial, part. Every player, whether a batsman or a bowler, should possess this quality and should have faith in his own abilities. Cricket can be compared to a game of chess, in which one has to constantly read the opponent's mind and anticipate his strategy and accordingly plan a counter strategy. One should never underestimate one's own talent, and, at the same time, should not be overwhelmed or cowed down by the name and fame of the opponent, however formidable he may be. one should remember that while competing on the field, it is on a one-to-one basis; therefore, why should a player imagine himself to be inferior or unworthy? However, no player should take the opposition lightly or casually and become overconfident. A captain should explain all these points lucidly to each and every player, so that the entire team approaches the game in a positive frame of mind. Captaincy is an inborn trait. It does not necessarily follow that all good players are good captains. A good captain is one who can turn a losing game into a winning one, by providing the required guidance, motivation, pep and grit. Obviously, a captain cannot win a match by himself but requires the support of the other players in ensuring success.
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The wicket-keeper's job is a very difficult, but vital, one, because he is virtually at the centre of all the action taking place on the field. He has to concentrate on each and every delivery, and accordingly adjust his position and modify his tactics. He has to be extremely agile and alert and should possess lightning reflexes. An energetic and inspiring wicket-keeper can boost the morale of the entire team. Since he is at a vantage point to observe the batsmen, he can offer valuable tips to the bowlers and fielders about how to get them out. I feel that wicket-keepers are born not made. Invariably, all great wicket-keepers have been short in stature, such as Bert Oldfield, Allan Knott, Rodney Marsh, Wasim Bari, Syed Kirmani, Kiran More and Bob Taylor.
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Let me briefly sum up the various deliveries bowled by right arm and left arm bowlers to right-handed batsmen and how they 'behave' :-
- Out swinger: This moves in the air from leg to off and leaves the batsman.
- In swinger: This moves in the air from off to leg and comes into the batsman.
- Off cutter: this comes into the batsman after pitching.
- Leg cutter: This leaves the batsman after pitching and goes towards the slips.
- leg Spin: After pitching, the ball turns from leg to off.
- Googly: After pitching, the ball comes into the batsman from off to leg
- Flipper: This goes straight after pitching.
- Off spin: This turns and comes into the batsman from off to leg, after pitching.
- Straight ball: After pitching, this goes straight or moves slightly away from the batsman.
- Left arm off spin: After pitching, this goes from leg to off.
- Arm ball or armer: This comes in slightly, or goes straight, to the batsman.
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A competent left arm bowler should be proficient in bowling the 'arm ball' or 'armer. Invariably, right-handed batsmen tend to spoon a catch close to the wickets or are bowled when they try to cut an armer, which comes slightly into the batsman. I remember a match in Australia in 1977, in which Bedi's bowling was punished severly by Kim Hughes in one particular over. The first three balls were hammered by Hughes to the boundary. The fourth ball was a lovely armer deftly slipped in by Bedi. This delivery uprooted Hughes' stumps as he stepped back to play the square cut. The armer can provide a good haul of wickets, if bowled properly. A slight change in grip is needed for the armer. The ball is held across the seam but, in the case, the first finger is placed on top of the seam. At the time of delivery, the seam should be facing the fine leg position, when bowling to a right-handed batsman.
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Left arm off spinners have been highly successful because many right-handed batsmen find it difficult to play the leaving ball. Over the years, India has pronounced some all-time great left arm spinners. Who can forget the superb Vinoo Mankhad or the ever consistent Bishen Singh Bedi? Mankad's magical bowling spells helped India notch up several victories. Bedi's majestic but effortless run-up, action and flight are still imprinted in my memory. He broke through the defence of many batsmen - even seasoned players - with his remarkable guile and subtle variation.
The Grip is exactly same to that of the right arm off spinner, the only difference is that the ball is held in the left hand, with the first two fingers across the seam. The third finger and the thumb support the ball. The ball should be held between the first two fingers in a sufficiently tight manner so that even if one hits it with the other hand, it does not get dislodged.
The Grip is exactly same to that of the right arm off spinner, the only difference is that the ball is held in the left hand, with the first two fingers across the seam. The third finger and the thumb support the ball. The ball should be held between the first two fingers in a sufficiently tight manner so that even if one hits it with the other hand, it does not get dislodged.
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As in case of leg spinners, off spinners also should develop a variation in their bowling. The only other delivery, apart from off spin, that an off spinner can bowl is the straight delivery. this delivery, as the name implies, goes straight after pitching. It is bowled with the same action as the off spin delivery but instead of turning, it moves straight into the batsman, catching him by surprise. normally, the batsman ends up offering a catch to the slips or to the wicket-keeper. E.A.S Prasanna was a past master beguiling batsman convincingly with this delivery, which yielded him a large number of wickets.Instead os spinning the ball, the bowler merely pushes it through towards the slips. The bowler should let his finger slide round and under the ball as it leaves the hand.
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There have been many outstanding right-hand off spinners in the history of cricket, who have 'spun webs' around batsmen, but i would place E.A.S. Prasanna at the top of the lot. His ability to bowl different kinds of deliveries with the same action is nothing short of phenomenal. His guile and deception are legendary. I have had the good fortune of playing a lot of cricket with and against Prasanna, which proved highly beneficial to me. For off spin, the first two fingers are spread out as much as possible. The top joints of both these fingers hold the ball across the seam to provide the optimum spinning grip. The ball is spun with the first finger. The third finger and also the thumb act as a support. The ball should be held firmly, but comfortably, so that it does not fall out of the hand. It should be noted that the thumb does not play any part in spinning the ball.
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The top spin or flipper is another weapon in the leg spinner's arsenal. This is a delivery which goes straight after pitching or comes slightly into the right-handed batsman. The accomplished leg spinner Narendra Hirwani once told that it took him years of practice to master the top spin. The grip is almost the same as for leg spin. The difference is that the bowler does not spin the ball; he just pushes it through in a clockwise direction with the first finger. The ball moves quicker in the air and also off the wicket. The run-up for every delivery is identical, and the bowler should try to bowl with as much a side-on action as possible (except for the googly).
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The googly is a fairly tricky and secretive delivery. It is a very useful weapon if employed adroitly by a leg spinner. A googly is essentially an off break bowled in the guise of a leg break by a right-hand bowler to a right-hand batsman. It's thrilling for a bowler to get a batsman out by a googly as a result of subtle deception. I have seen a lot of batsmen (when facing a leg spinner) play for the leg spin, but to their surprise (and horror), they have found the ball to spin the other way, resulting in their being bowled or offering a catch. The googly is not easy to bowl as its spin is hard to control. It requires a great deal of practice, day after day, to master this delivery. The googly is basically a wrist action delivery, although the first two fingers do have a role to play as also the back of the hand.
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Leg spinners normally constitute a bunch of attacking bowlers, although they could prove a bit expensive. However, they are basically wicket takers compared to other types of spinners. Leg spinners prefer good wickets to prove their mettle and end up with a rich haul 
of wickets in many matches.
The Leg Spin Grip
of wickets in many matches.For leg spin, the ball is gripped between the first three fingers. The first two fingers are spaced apart and hold the ball across the seam. The third finger is bent in such a way that it lies along the seam. The thumb rests lightly on the ball and does not play any part in spinning the ball. The third finger is the crucial finger as it has to ultimately spin the ball. The ideal way of getting a firm spin grip is to open one's palm, space out the first two fingers and then put in the ball into so-formed cup. As you grip the ball, bend the third finger suitably to lie along the seam.
The Leg Spin Action
The Leg Spin Action
Before a bowler actually bowls, he should first measure out his run-up distance accurately. This distance should not be too short or too long; it should be sufficient enough to provide a rhythmic run-up and a smooth action delivery. After determining the precise distance, a marker should be kept at the starting point.
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Spin bowling is nothing short of an art. One of the most rewarding experiences for a spin bowler would be to fool a batsman with a seemingly harmless flighted delivery, inviting the latter to come down the wicket and take a swipe at it, and suddenly finding himself stranded as the ball spins away from him and he is convincingly stumped. Cricket is not merely an awesome and ferocious display of pace bowling; it also involves the subtle guile of spin. In fact, Indian spinners by themselves have enabled their team to win many matches with their dexterous and clever bowling.
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The grip for bowling leg cutters is somewhat similar to that for inswingers. The only change is that the bowler slides the first finger down, with the second finger resting on the seam. After pitching, the ball moves away from the batsman (usually towards the off side slips). as i have mentioned earlier, a competent inswing bowler can bowl incisive leg cutters because he does not have to change his grip very much. In the olden days, Alec bedser of England attained great proficiency in delivering the leg cutter
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The grip for the off cutter is somewhat similar to that of the outsinger. The difference is that, in the case, the first finger comes close to the seam and the second finger is a bit away (wider), with the thumb resting on the side of the ball instead of under the seam. the mode of action is more or less similar to the out swinger, with the basic difference that the first two fingers cut across the ball, the first finger pulling the seam down, clockwise.
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Every successful pace bowler or medium pacer stocks a variety of "weapons" in his armoury. All the great bowlers employ a combination of swing and cutters. For instance Kapil Dev and Sir Richard Hadlee could beautifully mix the off cutters with the outswinger. Also, Imran Khan could nip in with outswingers and leg cutters along with his "banana inswinger" (i.e., a big inswinger).
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Seam bowling can prove to be highly effective and successful on damp, grassy and green wickets, which help the ball move in either direction after pitching. The basic aim of a seam bowler is to try and pitch the ball on the vertical seam so that he could move it either way, as desired. For achieving such perfection, one has to bowl very accurately. The grip for seam bowling is not very much different from the basic grip. The main difference is that, in seam bowling, the bowler drags his fingers back on the seam (instead of letting go of the ball straight from his hand) for obtaining swing and swerve. In England, present-day cricketers seam the ball more because of the ideal conditions. The prominent names associated with seam bowling are Sarfaraz Nawaz, Mike Hendricks, Chris Old and,of late, Chris Cairns (New Zealand)
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Two of the finest inswing bowlers i have seen in world cricket hail from Pakistan, namely, Imran Khan and Waqar Younis. The amount of swing that these bowlers have been able to generate is truly amazing. The reason for this can be attributed to their body action as also to their tremendous efforts. They have a fast rythmic run-up. They leap up and attain a good height and remain side-on while bowling, but at the instant of delivery, they drop or open their left shoulder a bit in order to induct maximum body action (for achieving a large amount of swing). For inswing bowling, the grip varies from that for outswing bowling; although the seam stays vertical, but instead of facing third man, it faces the leg slip or fine leg.....
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Out swing Bowling has been highly successful in all varieties of cricket because most batsmen find outswing bowling difficult to deal with. Even the all-time greats such as Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Javed Miandad encountered problems while facing an outgoing delivery, mainly during the beginning of the innings. During outswing bowling, the cordon of slip fielders is enhanced to accept any possible catch.
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The main point to be noticed is that genuine fast bowlers do not swing the ball as much as the medium pacemen do. All fiercely fast bowlers tend to concentrate on speed , and swing has always been secondary to them. On the other hand, medium pacers concentrate on swinging the ball and become proficient in more than one type of delivery in order to achieve variation in their attack. In my opinion, it is comparatively easier to play genuine paceman rather than swing bowlers. Kapil Dev,Botham, Hadlee and Imran concentrated on their swing bowling and thus emerged successful. In fact, Imran proved more penetrating and effective once he began mixing swing with genuine pace.
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Bowling constitutes a vital aspect of the game of cricket. Over the years, many players have shot to fame on the basis of their bowling abilities. The prominent names that spring to mind immediately are: Keith Miller, Harold Larwood , Mohd. Nissar, Tay Lindwall, Jim Laker, Vinod Mankad, Wesley Hall, Lance Gibbs, Dennis Lillee, E.A.S. Prasanna, B.S. Chandrashekar, B.S Bedi, S. Venkataraghavan, Kapil Dev, Sir Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Imran Khan, Abdul Khadir, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Of course,there are several others,whose talent and potential are noteworthy, but it is not possible to mention everyone of them here.
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Close Field In Field out field
- First slip 1. Mid-on 1. deep mid-off
- Second slip 2 .Mid- wicket 2. long off
- Third slip 3. Square-leg 3. deep mid- on
- Gully 4. Backward square leg 4. long-on
- Silly point 5. Short fine leg 5. deep mid- wicket
- Short extra 6. Short third man 6. deep square leg
- Short mid-off 7. Backward point 7. long leg
- Silly mid-off 8. Point 8. deep fine leg
- Silly mid-on 9. Cover point 9. deep third man
- Short mid-on 10. Mid-off 10. third man
- Forward short leg 11. deep point
- Backward short leg 12. extra -cover
- Leg slip 13. deep extra
- Wicket -keeper
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Ever since one-day cricket has begun to dominate the international arena, the standard of fielding has perforce improved immensely due to the fiercely competitive nature of the sport. Fielders have become more conscious of their role have been infused with new confidence and also aggressiveness. their levels of physical fitness have also improved considerably in order to meet the tremendous demands of the game with respect to mobility, agility and reflexes. Nowadays, we come across "specialist fielders" , i.e., fielders who specialize in particular positions (say,slips, covers, mid wicket or point). during my childhood days, i can recollect only two specialist fielders namely, Colin bland and Jonty Rhodes.........
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The drive is an elegant and graceful stroke and a delight to watch, especially if executed by proficient batsman such as Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Zaheer Abbas, Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham ,Alan Border, Dean Jones, Kim Hughes, David Gower, Graham gooch, Salim Malik, Mohammad Azharuddin and the young but brilliant Sachin Tendulkar.These renowned batsman played (and some of them continue to play) this stroke with a minimum of effort.nevertheless ,the ball invariably sped (or speeds) to bowlers in 1976 and Botham's glorious almost single handed match winning effort against Australia in 1980.
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Before we become too involved in analyzing and understanding the various cricketing skills,it's important to understand certain concepts and terms related to the game that concern bowlers, batsmen and fielders. On acquiring this knowledge one would be able to improve one's technique on the basis of sound principles. It's important for both the batsman and the bowler to know the precise lengths of a delivery .For example, when a batsman picks a ball of the wrong length to hit he gets into trouble. Similarly, a bowler is hammered all over the ground if he bowls with a bad length . The only difference between good and bad players is that the good batsman identifies the precise type of delivery a few seconds earlier than other batsman. In my opinion, a good bowler is one who has control over his length.
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When i was asked to write this post,i thought it would be a relatively simple job . All i had to do was to draw upon my fairly long cricketing experience and spice up the narrative with a few pithy and enthralling personal anecdotes. However the task proved to be much more formidable than i imagined, mainly because cricket is not merely a game but much more than that.For me, cricket represents a positive frame of mind; a lifestyle; and above all, an inspiring and delightful experience. Ths, i am writing this blog to share with everyone my experience with cricket , including the nuggets of knowledge and wisdom that i picked up from playing cricket......
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