Helicopter shot

{{Short description|An unconventional batting shot in cricket}}

{{EngvarB|date=June 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

In cricket, the helicopter shot is the act of hitting the ball by means of a wristy flick, using the bottom-hand as the dominant force. The shot gets its name from the flourish completing the stroke, with the bat being circled overhead. It has been considered an unconventional and innovative stroke which, when executed effectively, can be used to score boundaries, even against good yorkers or fuller-length deliveries,{{Cite web|date=6 March 2019|title=Top 5 Innovative Shots In The Game Of Cricket|url=https://cricketaddictor.com/cricket/top-5-innovative-shots-in-the-game-of-cricket/|archiveurl=|archivedate=|accessdate=25 November 2020|website=Cricket Addictor}} which have traditionally been used by faster bowlers towards the end of limited-overs matches because it is difficult to hit such balls to the boundary.{{Cite news|last1=Juneja|first1=Sunny|title=What is the helicopter shot?|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/What-is-the-helicopter-shot/articleshow/9427679.cms|accessdate=4 June 2020|work=The Times of India|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.|date=31 July 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604163350/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/What-is-the-helicopter-shot/articleshow/9427679.cms|archivedate=4 June 2020|url-status=live}}

Mohammad Azharuddin played a shot similar to the helicopter shot against the South African team in 1990 at Eden Gardens.{{Cite web|date=15 May 2016|title=Azhar played the helicopter shot before MS Dhoni|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/150516/azhar-played-the-helicopter-shot-before-ms-dhoni.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 November 2020|website=Deccan Chronicle}} Sachin Tendulkar, Aravinda Silva, Kevin Pietersen, Chamara Silva, Abdul Razzaq are some of those players who played similar shots, although, they all just played on the merit of the ball and not intentionally as a particular shot itself and that too for only once or twice.{{Cite web|date=14 January 2014|title=5 cricketers who have attempted playing the Helicopter shot|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/slideshow/5-players-attempted-helicopter-shot-cricket|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 November 2020|website=Sportskeeda}} The shot got its name and fame through M. S. Dhoni,{{Cite news|date=3 March 2020|title=The story behind MS Dhoni's helicopter shot|language=en|work=Sportscafe|url=https://sportscafe.in/cricket/articles/2020/apr/03/the-story-behind-ms-dhonis-helicopter-shot|access-date=25 November 2020}} who played it on a regular basis as a way to score boundaries against full and yorker length deliveries. It was a fellow player Santosh Lal, a childhood friend of Dhoni, who taught him how to play the shot.{{Cite web|author1=Srihari|title=The tragic story of Santosh Lal – MS Dhoni's friend and the inventor of the helicopter shot|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/tragic-story-santosh-lal-dhonis-friend-inventor-helicopter-shot|website=Sportskeeda|publisher=Absolute Sports|accessdate=4 June 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604170544/https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/tragic-story-santosh-lal-dhonis-friend-inventor-helicopter-shot|archivedate=4 June 2020|date=3 October 2016}}