The unbridled joy of watching a perfect cover drive

The joy of watching batsmen play cover drive is immeasurable. Two premier batsmen of their respective countries, Virat Kohli of India and Darren Bravo of the West Indies played their favourite shot on more than one occasion in their latest international innings that ended in contrasting results for their teams.

During his match-winning knock of 85 not out in the first ODI in Dharamshala on Sunday, Kohli leaned forward and drove New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham through covers. This stroke, a typical copybook cover drive, was all class and without even one per cent of an error in it that prompted Sunil Gavaskar to say on air that youngsters wanting to play cover drive should learn from this shot.

Unfortunately for Kohli, an equally brilliant effort by Mitchell Santner in the boundary robbed him of two runs. However, three deliveries later, Kohli was not to be denied his boundary with another peach of a cover drive, though Santner could not be faulted for not trying.

Darren Bravo, the left-handed immensely talented West Indies batsman, stood tall amidst the ruins in the day-night Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Monday night. His 116 kept West Indies chances alive in their pursuit of a victory target of 346, of which 251 were needed on the last day on Monday. Bravo played his heart out but received little support from the top-order.

Bravo's batting resembles legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara, the record-holder for the highest Test score. En route to his fighting eighth Test century, Bravo played classic drive through covers off Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah off successive deliveries. Most left-handers are graceful to watch when in full flow. And when they produce classic drives with four written all over, you would not mind going miles to watch such beauties.

India's best No. 3 Rahul Dravid was also India's No. 1 when it came to driving through the covers. He did it with alarming ease, leaning forward and driving or sometimes even going on one knee all the way for four.

There was no dearth of cover-drivers in Indian cricket as the man who followed Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar was equally good at it. Or for that matter, the men who followed them, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly.

It was this same stroke that Tendulkar curbed in that innings of 241 not out in Sydney in the 2003-04 series after being found out on one occasion too many earlier in the series. Such has been the resolve of the Indian batting genius that he could play the cover drive whenever it was meant to be, and whenever he decided that he would not indulge in it.

There seems to be something that cover drives looked impeccable from the blades of Nos. 3 and 4. Pakistan's Zaheer Abbas, who batted at No. 3 for Pakistan in the 1970s and 80s, or South Africa's No. 4 Graeme Pollock in the 1960s were famous for their cover drives.

Another batsman who produced the classic cover drive in the last week was India Test opener Murali Vijay in the first innings of the Indore Test. Two back-to-back drives through covers off Trent Boult very early in the Test are what make watching Test cricket from the first ball a sheer joy. There was no scope of the batsman missing it even as the bowler hopes that he edge to the waiting slip cordon. Neither was the batsman too early into the shot to make the shot look awkward.

Vijay leaned into the stroke, drove off the middle of the bat to give himself the confidence of a big score that has been missing from him for quite some time. Unfortunately, a smart catch at short leg by Tom Latham deprived spectators of the joy of watching more such cover-drives.

Vijay is another batsman who, in full flow, is a treat to watch. The elegance of a left-hander's mirror image is what Vijay is when in supreme touch.

Kohli, Bravo and Vijay are a few who keep up the glory of cover-drive ticking in the age of slam-bang T20 cricket with unorthodox shots dictating the game.