Sydney: Prolific Australian batsman Steve Smith, who is presently at home with his family during the isolation period amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, on Thursday came out with “some tips on batting” for budding cricketers.
In a three-minute long video out on his Instagram page, Smith talked about “two authentic swings that each player has”.
“Batting tips I’ve had lots of people asking me to share some hints and tips on batting. This video is on what I like to call the first authentic swing. I’ll share the second authentic swing in a few days time. Let me what else you would like to see,” he wrote along with the video.
The 30-year-old described two authentic swings as one which involves the top hand and helps in driving the ball straight down the ground and the other one which involves bottom hand, enabling the batsman to “smack the ball”.
In the video, the former Australian skipper spoke about the importance of pointing the front foot in the direction where a batsman wants to hit the ball as it felicitates bending of front knee and get the head over the ball and play the shot in straight line.
He also said how young kids and even some of the professional players “neglect to bring their foot to around that straight line to enable the bat to come through”.
Towards the end, he also suggested a few drills to improve feet movement and improve skills while batting.
After elaborating on first type of swing, the number one Test batsman promised to come up with a video explaining the second type of swing in the near future in a “few days time”.
Under normal circumstances, Smith would have been currently playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which currently stands “suspended” because of COVID-19.