In sports, there exist some moments that can cause even the most hardened and skeptical fan to fall in love with the game. The cover drive from a batsman’s perspective is undoubtedly the most beautiful cricket stroke.
This shot can be played in different ways. A few players put their front foot right on the ball’s line and almost go down on one knee to hit it through the covers; while others depend on timing and hand-eye coordination to bring the ball to the boundary.
Anyway, it is one of the most spectacular sights to behold in the game. Aesthetically, here are the ten best players of the cover drive of the modern era.
Who are the best Cover drive players in international cricket
1. Virat Kohli
The Indian batsman who was once the Indian captain is the one and only player whoops the cover drive like a pro among all the contemporary batsmen. The mainly breathtaking commanding of his bat and body at the time of this shot and the frequent online spectators’ attention have left all around the world of cricket commentators talk about the Delhi batsman’s exceptional footwork in the case of the shot.
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Kohli’s international cricket career has crossed over 15 years and he is now a major contributor to the run-scoring in all formats. Moreover, he is one of the few batsmen who have maintained a 50+ batting average in all formats of the game. There is no question that Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is the best player when it comes to the cover drive stroke among all modern players.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
There are many batters who have played this beautiful stroke, but Sachin was the one who first revealed the fans the significance of the correct body balance while making this shot. He was in control all through the shot, keeping the ball in the air when he wanted to play down.
Among the different cover drive varieties — the square, lofted, back foot, and the cover drive against the spinners — the Master Blaster was the real king of all.
3. Babar Azam
The Lahore batsman is a shining star on the world’s cricket stage. He has often been compared to his Indian rival, but Babar has been consistently making big runs at the top level. His run-making ability aside, it is his cover drive that gets a frequent mention along with that of the former Indian captain.
Babar’s first international match was in 2015, and he has been nothing but spectacular since. He is one of the very few batsmen to be among the top ten across all formats of the game. He is undoubtedly one of the cover drive masters among his peers.
4. Quinton de Kock
The batsman from Johannesburg is among the most prominent players of his era. He is the player who will most likely be referred to as the best batsman in South Africa right now.
He is one of the top 15 batsmen of all time in cricket. But of all the batsmen, he is the one to use this shot most effectively. His cover drive was a great delight to both the spectators and the cricket analysts.
5. Mark Waugh
The Waugh twins shared a very-close rivalry at the crease, but it was usually Steve who emerged victorious, both in terms of history and statistics. The competitive Chris had excellent speed in running with lots of cuts and pulls, but his drives and flicks through the shorter leg will remain in memory the longest.
6. Michael Vaughan
Despite the plethora of strokes, the Yorkshireman is at his finest when he makes the front-foot movement to expose his offside and nothing can compete with his cover face-batting. His career as a player ended in 2009 after an Ashes run as captain of the England team, but he has since then found a well-deserved place in the commentary box.
7. Damien Martyn
Damien Martyn, the Australian cricketer, is credited for his remarkable ability to play cover drive, and he is even considered one of the best in this aspect among all players ever. His timing and graceful stroke-making made him a very strong batsman in the period he played.
Martyn was extraordinary with his cover drives as he carved through the field and sent the ball rocketing over the boundary quickly and accurately. His cover drives were one of the main features of his huge number of strokes in and were a great factor that helped him become such a good batter.
8. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara was the left-handed cover drive master. The top wicketkeeper-batsman was waiting for the full-length ball to show the beauty of the cover drive.
That is to say, the perfect elements for the graceful stroke were a superb body balance completely depending on the solid ground and the typical Sri Lankan bat swing. Sanga took the distinction over others by striking the ball right after it had passed through his front foot.
9. Brian Lara
The West Indian legend managed to pull off this stroke using his own method of backlifting. His usual shuffle for the quicks had always placed him in the perfect spot to produce the best shot of the book.
Moreover, when offered a full delivery, the left-hander would never hesitate to open up the cover area. A classic case was the spinners in the offside as they twisted and turned and Brian’s lofty cover drives on the offside, like the sweep shot on the leg side, had many a spinner cut off bowling in the offside area.
10. Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson’s technique of playing the ball with extraordinary timing sometimes raises doubts regarding edges, yet he is unshakeable in his habit. His commitment to allowing the ball to move for as long as possible before meeting the bat is now a hallmark of his batting style.
The cover drive is undoubtedly the king of the strokes in Williamson’s repertoire. He performs this shot with the elegance and precision of a master, and he mesmerizes the audience with his uncanny ability to spot the gaps effortlessly.
