India’s top six-hitters across generations pay close attention to their willow, be it the weight, balance, rebound, the curve and even the toe. At SG and SS, two main bat makers, try to achieve the Perfect 10 willow score for the batting stars.
MS Dhoni
Weight: 1,120 grams
Among the top cricketers he is the one who asks for the least number of bats. He asks two kinds of bats that have different weights. He uses the heavier one, that has 30 grams extra in the middle, to hit big sixes in the slog overs.
Tilak Varma
Weight: 1,140 grams
He uses a lighter bat to play sweeps and reverse sweeps against spinners and counter-attack the pacers. The sweet spot of his bat is lower down. This is because he mostly plays white-ball where the pitches don’t have much bounce.
Weight: 1,180 grams
The spine of Sharma’s bat is much lower and so is the sweet spot. His top-hand grip helps him to hit balls that are far away and the sweet spot towards the toe gives strength to those shots.
Weight: 1,180 grams
Till some time back, he used a bat that weighed 1,150 grams. But just before the T20 World Cup this year he switched to a heavier bat. His bat bulged in the middle and this helps him hit the ball cleanly in the death overs.
Weight: 1,180 grams
His bat has a prominent curve that starts at the handle and extends to the toe. The bat also has an extreme oval handle, which is thin at the top. The curve helps hit the ball in a perfect parabola, and the round toe assists in digging out yorkers
Ishan Kishan
Weight: 1,125 grams
For someone known to hit big sixes, he uses a light bat. He uses his bat like a sword to cut and pull and that is why he insists that his willow has the right balance.
Sanju Samson
Weight: 1,150 grams
He uses a traditional-shaped bat with a nice curve on the spine. The handle of his bat is thinner at the top and semi-oval towards the bottom. He is particular about the ping of his bats as he banks on timing.
Virat Kohli
Weight: 1175 grams
He is very particular about the kind of bat he plays with. He doesn’t play the sweep shot often and targets the wide arc in front of him. He banks on his bat flow to complement his timing and power.
Rohit Sharma
Weight: 1180 grams
Rohit Sharma’s bat is slightly heavier than Kohli’s. He gives his bat manufacturer detailed instructions. He likes bats that have a clean swing and good rebound. His bat has a round toe.
Yuvraj Singh
1,230 grams
His bats were half an inch longer than the standard bats. They were big but lightweight, which allowed him to swing his bat cleanly from a high backswing. His bat had a solid middle and a very sweet ping.
